More than a little human friend
by katnassy
Summary: Set mid season three. Dyson and Kenzi's adventures
1. Chapter 1

More than a little human friend

Set after 3.06 and right during 6.08. What might be Dyson and Kenzi doing while Bo and Tamsin are having their fun in Brazenwood.

Dyson opened the door to his loft and stopped dead in his tracks. There was no foreign smell or alarming noise. But the second he stepped over the threshold he was no longer in the there and now, he was, all over again, in the excruciating moment of holding a dead and bloodied Kenzi in his arms, on his bed. Her wonderful eyes shut, her little face still and her mouth dripping with blood – and all of that because he in his befuddled state of mind chose to think it was not her, not his beloved human.

He chose to think so, but was so not sure. Not sure right until Lauren pronounced her fae and a crushing weight fell off his chest. What would be have done, it she had turned out to be the Kenzi? It didn't even bare thinking about. One thing he knew for certain, his own life would have ended right there and then, with the life he had taken.

As luck would have it, his musings were purely hypothetical . He had killed an imposter, a psychotic fae who had captured the human and had insinuated herself among Kenzi's friends. The real Kenzi was probably having her third hamburger of the evening, or a second pizza, or a fourth ice-cream. And still, Dyson couldn't chake the image out of his head. How was he expected to sleep in the bed where just a while ago he had spent the most agonizing minutes of his life. How was he supposed to feel at home in his loft where he had taken the breath out of the lungs of someone with Kenzi's sweet little face.

So, when he finally worked himself up to entering the room, the first thing he did was to throw together a bagful of clothes and accessories. He was going to do what his wolf was telling him to. To run, to run from the horrible memory. To run, even if as far as the nearest hotel. He just wasn't feeling up to staying at the blood-smeared place.

Dyson was half-way done packing when he heard a light scratching noise at the door and turned around to see a pale-faced open-eyed Kenzi.

"Running again, D-man," she asked. "Last time you did that it didn't turn out particularly well. To the best of my recollection, it ended with me dragging you battered butt out of a hellhole."

Dyson, never the man of the words at the best of times, could only breathe out, "I am not running. Just relocating."

"Why? Don't you like your loft. Cause I totally do. I particularly cherish the memory of slapping you here", Kenzi tried to crack a half-joke.

"That's your blood over there, on the sheets," Dyson nodded towards the bed.

Kenzi's eyes went a little wider with an unidentifiable emotion. Fear, disgust, surprise? Dyson couldn't figure it out, though he felt like he should.

"So, you are running from me?" Kenzi whispered and this time the emotion behind her words was clearly consternation.

Chapter 2

"My blood?", Kenzi was having difficulty wrapping her head around what the wolf had just said.

"Not yours, I mean Inari's", Dyson corrected himself. "But I guess I haven't yet got it out of my system and feel like being somewhere far enough from the bloodstains on my bed and …" She didn't give him the time to finish.

"Holly baby bear balls! You are about to up and go, tail tucked between your legs because you killed someone in your own bed!" Kenzi was winding herself up into a screaming fit. "And if you had already hotfooted it out of here by the time I came? Have you thought how I would have felt if I had seen the empty loft?"

"I have not … ", Dyson mumbled, gradually giving up on reasoning with the frenzied human girl. "I was just feeling … "

"You were feeling?!", Kenzi yelled. "Poor puppy! It's so about YOUR feelings every time. You had a prior allegiance to Trick and that justified breaking Bo's heart the first time. Then you had your love ripped out by the evil Norn. And there again – poor broken Dyson, it was all right for him to hurt those who loved him cause he was missing his heart. And now what's your excuse? Traded your feelings for a Porsche? " Kenzi finally stopped to catch her breath.

Dyson should probably feel surprised or hurt by her tirade, but strangely enough he didn't. The girl's angry words were so clearly fuelled by something deep-running, something complex, something he hadn't yet put his finger on. Though, he was pretty sure he detected fear and panic beneath all the fury. He stepped forward, closer to the tiny human.

"You weren't thinking of me when you were busily packing your bag. But I have just imagined not finding you here… I would have freaked", Kenzi whispered, deflated after her outburst. She instinctively moved towards him, towards the warmth emanating from him.

"More than you have just freaked out?", Dyson asked with half a smile meant to conceal a sigh of relief. He thought the peak of Kenzi's fury was over.

"And while we are at it, what was the bitch doing in your loft, in your bed?" Kenzi seemed to have got her second wind.

"Hasn't Lauren or Bo told you?" the wolf asked not particularly relishing the prospect of explaining to her something which had been quite a blur to him himself.

"Lauren said she had got your call and rushed here to find a dead Inari", the girl answered. "On second thought, she might have mentioned she was in your arms and in your shirt and in nothing else"

At that juncture Dyson surprised himself by feeling a bit embarrassed – an emotion he hadn't experienced a lot in the last couple of centuries. However, he would be hard put to explain why.

"I brought you … her here because she was scared… she said she was scared and didn't feel safe", he finally managed.

"And you shirt made her feel still safer", Kenzi snarked. "She probably thought it was armoured"

But the expression of Dyson's face gave her pose mid-barb. Kenzi stepped up to the wolf and put her little hand on his arm. "What did she do to you, D?", she breathed out.

"She died on me", Dyson answered, "And she was you".

Chapter 3

Dyson was floundering with his choice of words. "I thought I had killed a dangerous enemy, Kenzi. It's just I wasn't completely positive. And as far as the good doctor enlightened you in such depth she might have mentioned the fact that my brain had been scrambled by Tamsin and …well … " He stopped, realizing that he sounded much colder than he felt.

But you can't beat a body swap to teach you to read a person. It started to dawn on Kenzi what the rub might be with the stolid shifter and his intended exodus out of his well-lived-in loft. Pity and warmth flooded her whole being.

"So, you were a bit upset when you thought you might have killed me?" she asked only half-jokingly. "Lauren has even mentioned some tears shed over _my_ corpse"

At that point Kenzi was treated to a rare sight of a blushing Dyson. "I told you my brain had been fried" he sounded distinctly embarrassed.

After another minute's silence Kenzi realized she was getting nothing more out of the reticent shifter and decided to take the lead on the battlefield of emotions. "I've come to you cause I've been through a wringer", she confessed softly, "After something this grueling you would want to be with people closest to you. I didn't want to burden Bo, with the Dawning coming and all. So, I came to the place I feel safe at, I cam to the person I feel warm with, I didn't expect to find you in the middle of a twisted guilt-trip"

Dyson felt totally out of his depth with the emotional stuff, but it wasn't the time to play the stone-faced warrior. He put his arm around the girl's tiny shoulders and pressed her into his side. Confidence for a confidence time.

"About feeling warm", he whispered. "This is what I feel around you. And it wasn't a guilt trip. I just realized how bleak my life would have been without a certain nosy insolent little human"

"And the packing thing?", Kenzi nodded towards the bag.

"Just being in here brings me back to the moment I'd rather die than relive" Dyson answered and there and then it struck him full force. His eureka moment. "That's it. That's what my life is all about. About Bo and about you".

Mentally Kenzi thanked her lucky fashion choice of heels for that day. Had she not opted for the extra high out of her collection of high-heeled boots, she would have had to stand on tiptoe to achieve the appropriate eye level with the wolf and that would have definitely strain the moment and her calves. She looked up into his eyes. Right there in the deep blue was whatever D-man could make articulate and audible for her to hear with her ears, but Kenzi was notorious for hearing with her heart.

"And it's on me again", she sighed. "You'd die for Bo. You'd die for me. Cause I am irreplaceable. And I am your family".

"Whether you want a Russian thief hanging on your genealogical fae-tree or not", she added as an after-thought.

Dyson felt relief flooding him. Trust Kenzi to be his voice, and his heart, if was honest with himself.

"And back to the problem of the ruined sheets", Kenzi went on, "haven't you dealt with similar issues when you were younger, like a millennium younger when you were a pup or whatever. We can change them rather then your humble abode. Haven't put you down for squeamish"

"It might run a little deeper than the sheets, Kenzi", Dyson was already half-smiling.

"So, we need to de-hang-up you, D, exorcize the kitsune", the girl sounded confident, "I'm on it, wolf-boy"

"I just need a few of days out of here, a motel will do", the shifter grumbled. "At the worst, I'll find another loft"

"Are you going to run from Inari for another couple of centuries?" Kenzi raised an eyebrow. "Cause I totally don't have that long"

"No, we'll go for a granny remedy. The Russian granny remedy", she pronounced.

"We are not talking about Baba Yaga again, I hope", Dyson sniped.

"No can do. We've fried the hag", Kenzi brushed his words away. "But as they say in my language _Клинклиномвышибают_"

Chapter 4

That night Dyson had a near-unique opportunity to extend his knowledge of Russian proverbs, Kenzi's granny's remedy _Клинклиномвышибают_ turned out to be roughly equivalent to _fight fire with fire. _

She made him strip the bloodied sheets, wrap them in a bin-liner and take them out to the dumpster. While he was out, she made a sweep of his loft and got new bedding in place. When Dyson came back, he was practically pushed towards the bed. Kenzi had already got read of her black jacket and tight-laced corset and was standing in front of him hands on hips in her skin-tight pants and a top, the only discordant note to her fashionable self being her bare feet.

"You look quite a sight, D, desperately in need of some z's", she pronounced.

"Kenzi, I can't ….", the wolf started, only to be interrupted.

"Don't Kenzi-block me her, I'm in full flow!"

"That's your renovated sleeping place, no blood, that's Kenzi here, not Inari and we are doing exactly what you were doing last night, right up to the moment the crazy bitch got her crazy on"

Kenzi flopped down on the bed and started to undo the laces of her boots, then her corset. Taking in the look of consternation on Dyson's face, she amended, "Don't get your hopes up, I wouldn't be seen dead in your shirt. My pants and top are staying put, but we are both going in". She motioned to the bed, "It's therapy, wolf-boy, trust me"

Dyson would be hard put to explain even to himself why he obediently shrugged off his jacket and lay down on the tarnished bed, looking up at the ceiling. He tensed a bit when he felt the tiny form stretch out next to him. He tensed even more when a small hand was put on his chest. But a few moments passed and suddenly he started to get the point of the proceedings. Bracing himself against the mental image still burnt in his memory, Dyson extended his long arm to put it around Kenzi and press her a bit closer to him. She just hummed something unintelligible and curled into him. Then she brushed a hand through his hair and mumbled dozily, "Disappointed I am not grasping the chance to jump your bones, D-man? Why would I need it? You are mine. In a way. That's what the stupid fox couldn't wrap her deceitful head around".

And that was the stark contrast, Dyson realized, between the kitsune psychotically trying to lie and screw her way in and Kenzi - warm, and real, and trusting, and loving as only the real Kenzi could be. Utter trust and love not conditioned on sex or on where he stood with Bo or on whether he acted noble or as a dumbass or as a noble dumbass for that matter - these were the elements the deceptive kitsune could never replicate. Whatever mistake he had made with Inari was just that – a mistake, a piece of the past. This time it was so very different – his mind was clear and the girl pressed against his side was his Kenzi.

That had finally done the trick for the wolf – the spirit was banished, the blood was washed away, Kenzi was back and his belief in his ability to keep her safe was restored. The rest of the night they just spent sleeping peacefully in each others' arms without a second thought, without a doubt, without reading or misreading the situation.

The morning rays of light landed on Dyson's face making him sneeze and half-rise form the pillow. For a second the wolf was struggling to get his bearings but the sight of a slight frame spread against the white of the bed made his chuckle. Tiny as she was, Kenzi still managed to take up a significant chunk of space. The biggest surprise was probably the fact that he hadn't ended up kipping on the floor.

The wolf was wide awake and ready to take on the world. The nightmare was over, his loft didn't seem a treacherous and unsafe place anymore, a significant purpose of his life was sleeping with a blanket scrunched around her. Now, at long last, Dyson knew what he needed to do. But first he had to wake up Kenzi, which seemed no mean feat.

The wolf softly touched her shoulder, "Rise and shine, Kenz". That elicited no reaction from the sleeping form. Dyson tried again this time with a bit of shaking. That earned him a slap on the shoulder and a mumbled oath in Kenzi's voice to have a lie-in for another couple of weeks. "Not weeks, not even minutes. You need to wake up, I'll get us coffee", the shifter persisted.

Kenzi finally cracked open an eye. "I deserve a medal not a rude awakening", she moaned.

"You deserve a lot of things, first of all, to be safe and cared for", Dyson smiled. "Right now coffee is the best I can do".

Kenzi sluggishly unpeeled herself first from the pillow, next from under a blanket. "It's morning. I don't do mornings, D", she whined.

"It's ten past nine", Dyson was unrelenting, getting busy with the coffee machine.

"So, it's _early_ morning", Kenzi replied full of righteous indignation. "I am never fully functional at this time."

"That's because you drink too much during the night", the wolf deadpanned.

"That's because I nursed a certain wolf back to sanity during the night ", Kenzi sniped.

The look Dyson gave her immediately persuaded Kenzi that was not the right moment to talk about her rescue mission of yesterday and she reluctantly got up.

"Still, even if I am being uncharacteristically cooperative with this ridiculous getting-up business", she started again. "Why the rush?"

Dyson put into two cups on the kitchen counter and filled them with thick delicious-smelling liquid. "Because we are going on a journey", he explained in his most serious tone of voice.

"Oh, no! Not another field trip! I've just been on one with Bo and believe me, the Kenzi was not made to …"

"There is something we need to do, Kenzi, you and me. Before the Dawning comes, before it's too late," Dyson said.

"Now you are scaring me", Kenzi felt a chill running up her spine. "Is it about Bo? Is she in danger? Will she survive the Dawning?" The girl could barely contain her rising panic.

"I'll take care of Bo, I promise, I'll help her get through the trial", Dyson tried his best to sound reassuring. "But you, Kenz, you are vulnerable, exposed to the world of beings inherently more powerful than you. And whatever happens during the Dawning, I need to make sure that I am able to protect you even if I am not around "

Chapter 5

Kenzi had a very bad feeling about Dyson's sudden frenzy. While she heartily appreciated the "I need to protect you" part, she was definitely weary regarding the "if I am not around" part. The wolf was his usually mysterious self vaguely citing the Dawning and the general unpredictability of life as the main reason to put a rush on their quest. "I will just feel much better during Bo's trial", he said, "if I know that you are safe".

So, the quest began with … going back to the crack shack to pick up some of Kenzi's clothes and, above all, shoes. Dyson had sworn to make the girl walk bare-foot unless she exchanged her killer heels for some more sensible footwear. Shocked as she was by the suggestion that she might have an abomination like sensible shoes in her wardrobe, Kenzi was finally forced to admit that there was a stray pair of running shoes worn with misuse somewhere under her bed. Decked out in those, a pair of jeans, a plain shirt and a jacket she went downstairs to join Dyson at the door of the crack shack. The wolf gave her a once-over and nodded in approval. "We are good to go"

"Good to go where?", Kenzi inquired. "If there is anything I hate than more than wearing sensible shoes it is to be left in the dark. Bo's training at the Dahl and I am not even allowed to peek in. The stellar Stella snits that it's beyond my human comprehension anyway and now you playing it mysterious and …"

Dyson softly interrupted her, "Kenz, we don't have much time and have something important on the plate. And believe me you'll come to like the shoes…"

"Sti-ill too mysterious for my liking," Kenzi sing-songed.

"Ok, we are going to look for a lamp", Dyson relented to her curiosity. "we'll probably have to fight for it, to trade it and … we have like 12 hours before the Dawning. And we are taking my bike – for speed"

The girl airpunched in glee, "Some bike time! I can probably start hating it a bit less!"

As a matter of fact, she was actually able not to hate it at all, she had even to confess to herself that riding pillion on Dyson's bike was quite a thrill! The scenery streaking past on both sides of her at a neck-breaking speed, the smell of warm leather from Dyson's jacket, her arms circling the waist of one very hot wolf, whichever element did it the most for her, the composite came out more than enjoyable. Though, to be honest with herself, even if she took the view and the jacket out of the equation, the ride would still be giving her more than a bit of a buzz. At which point in her musings the girl had to get her rambling thoughts back on track and concentrate as she wasn't feeling up to being totally honest with herself, at least not as far as Dyson and the feels he was giving her were concerned.

An hour's ride later thy pulled over on the edge of a country road. The wolf got off and gallantly extended his hand to the human girl. "We'll need to walk from here", he motioned to the dark mass of the forest ahead.

"Pine-collecting mission?" Kenzi asked the mere idea of walking putting quite a damper on things for her.

"We are looking for Magpie, actually, you are looking for Magpie. The sneaky bastard is adapt at camouflaging, but his defenses are attuned to fae powers. Your human eyes are going to come very handy, though I still insist you get glasses", Dyson finally explained.

"Magpie? I don't even know how a magpie looks like? And what do we need the bird for?"

"He is not a bird, but a coyote shifter, Magpie is his nickname as he is notorious for stealing shiny things he doesn't really need and storing them in his hideouts in the forest", Dyson elaborated.

"I could totally relate to that", the girl drawled.

"I bumped into him a couple of decades ago, on a case, that's why I know where his turf is. The bad news is he probably already knows we are here, he knows me, he'll be hiding from my wolf senses. Good news is, as far as I know the sleazeball, he'll presumptuously discard you as no threat. Now Kenz, you are looking out for something incongruous, something which shouldn't be here", the wolf instructed and lead the way into the density of the trees.

"Something incongruous, my ass", Kenzi muttered, "Dirt? Bumps in the path? Barby bushes? No conditioning? What could be more incongruous"

After a good hour of walking through the forest the trees themselves started to look out of place to Kenzi, she was getting tired and bored.

"Maybe, you'll do better if you shift into the wolf? Your senses will be clearer and I'll get some in-flight entertainment?"

"As I have told you, my wolf senses are no good here. Concentrate! You need to see, to smell, to feel"

"But I don't know what can be out of place in a forest, I am not a forest person, I am not even a park person. Is this bluish tinge to the fur-tree ahead all right? Is the chirping somewhere to my left a red herring? Or the smell of … ", Kenzi practically tripped and would have fallen nose first in to the dirt path if Dyson hadn't held her up.

"The smell", the girl's voice dropped to a whisper, "it's _J'adore. _I am pretty positive forests don't smell Dior, not even knock-off Dior. "

Chapter 6

Dyson immediately crouched taking her down with him. "Try to locate the smell with max precision". Kenzi sniffed deeper turning her head, "I am not sure, but the whiff is coming from the right. And there is something shiny between the crop of rocks and … "

She didn't have time to finish her recce report because things suddenly became lightning-fast. Dyson's clothes went flying, a magnificent animal of lean muscle and grey-silver fur streaked past her and in a couple of leaps reached the rocks Kenzi had been talking about. Instinctively the girl jumped to her feet too. In a small clearing in front of her two large canines were dueling it out. She heard snarls and growling, saw the furry bodies coil and attack, crouch on the defensive and leap forward on the attack. The wolf was bigger and obviously stronger, but the coyote was fighting dirty. Kenzi cried out when she saw a rivulet of blood on the silver fur of Dyson's shoulder. But the powerful jaws finally managed to snap closed on the coyote's neck and Magpie gave up resistance. The animals stilled for a few seconds and then, imperceptibly to the human eye, male forms took place of the canine ones.

Kenzi couldn't help gaping. It wasn't, by far, the first time she saw Dyson without the hindering clothes, but that was one sight she could probably never get bored of. "Not sure about the fire or running water but this I can totally watch for eternity, that is if I had eternity", she told herself under her breath. "And back to harsh reality", she mumbled bending down to pick Dyson's discarded clothes. When she straightened up the wolf was already standing a foot away holding his captive firmly by the neck.

"Are you alright, D?" Kenzi pointed at his bloodied shoulder, worry lacing her voice.

"It's not deep. It'll heal soon", Dyson answered, oddly moved by her concern.

Kenzi stretched her hand to pass Dyson his pants, desperately trying not to let her eyes go south.

"A human to help track me down?" Magpie wheezed, his face contorted and blushed.

"_J'adore?_ Really?", Kenzi countered. "Getting your kicks out of smelling rich or just a Charlize fan?"

"I liked the bottle", Magpie was suddenly abashed, "So shiny"

"Talking about shiny", Dyson growled still in his warrior mode. "I need the lamp"

"Which lamp?" Magpie half-heartedly tried to play innocent.

"The one you stole from Jean", the wolf was having none of it, "and you are taking us to it, while your larynx is still relatively intact"

"Just the lamp and you'll let me go", Magpie asked.

"Yes"

"Hey, wolfman", Kenzi interfered. "Have you realty thought this one through? No idea why you need the lamp, but this coyote ugly … no offense to the doggie here… might have something valuable with his klepto propensities. Something we can cash in".

Dyson didn't even bother answering, but the look he gave the girl spoke volumes.

"Sorry, professional deformation", Kenzi mumbled and looked down, which was by itself a mistake, because down was exactly the direction she had vowed not to look until Dyson got his pants on.

They took a minute to "cover their boy parts" as Kenzi dubbed it, and proceeded into the depth of the bushes with Magpie leading the way to his lair. On the way there a weird sense of apprehension washed over Kenzi. "Your lair, is it like a cave or what?" she asked haltingly. "A cave with shiny things scattered on the dirt floor?"

The men walking slightly ahead of her both turned, it would actually be impossible to do otherwise as Dyson was still holding the coyote by the neck. With a rare display of sensitivity the wolf immediately caught on to what was bothering his human companion. A cave with things, just like the one Kenzi was kept captive by the kitsune.

"You don't need to go, little one," he said kindly.

Invigorated by his soft voice, Kenzi defiantly jerked her chin up. "Yes, I do. Remember _клинклином_ (Fight fire with fire). You should practice what you preach, right?"

"I hate t interrupt your proverb fest," Magpie announced arrogantly, "but my lair is not a cave, it's a cabin. And my collection is neatly deposited in boxes, not scattered and certainly not on the dirt floor. What am I? A filthy kitsune?" For his righteous indignation he was rewarded by a slap upwards his head from Dyson and the ragtag search party moved on.

The lair really turned out to be a small cabin in the midst of the forest and the impressive selection of metal, plastic, silver, aluminum and just shiny things amassed by the sticky-fingered coyote over the years was catalogued and stored in containers. So, to Kenzi's relief mixed with a hefty dose of disappointment she wasn't giving a chance of sifting through. True to his word Dyson turned to leave as soon as Magpie located the necessary box and handed him a slightly rusty old lamp looking more like an elongated tea-pot.

So, the wolf and the girl were again on their way, this time back to the bike and on to look for Jean, who as Dyson was kind enough to explain was the owner of the lamp.

Chapter 7

The next leg of the journey took them to a nice suburban house. Two children were chasing each other on the front lawn, screaming their heads off and obviously having the time of their lives. Dyson parked the bike at the curb, got off and walked up the drive towards the front door. Kenzi followed his suit, screwing up her face at the noise.

The shifter was about to press the doorbell when one of the windows was flung open and a woman was suddenly yelling at the top of her voice for the kids to stop raising hell and shut up. Next, the woman obviously saw two strangers on the porch and hurried out.

Dyson forestalled her inquiries by flashing his badge and pasting on a charming smile.

"Mrs Lambert? Detective Dyson, Madam, we've met. Two years ago your husband reported a robbery committed by a Fae and me and my partner came to talk to you."

"Ri-ight", Mrs Lambert squinted at the tall police officer. The woman was about 35 with a sharp face, untidy hair and a dirty apron thrown over a flower patterned robe.

"I remember you, officer", she answered and eyed Kenzi with unmasked suspicion, "But your partner looked different –older, male, black and fae". She heavily stressed the last word and practically skewered the human girl with her gimlet eyes.

"Officer Santiago has been promoted. This is my new partner, officer McKenzie, duly claimed and appointed by the Ash. Though you are welcome to verify her status with the Ash himself", Dyson replied formally, while Kenzie was having a hard time keeping a straight face. Mrs Lambert looked a bit subdued by the wolf's dry tone.

"There has been a new development in the case, Madam, we need to talk to your husband …", Dyson went on.

"I thought the case was closed", the woman remarked.

"It was re-opened as soon as we received new information concerning the robbery", Dyson replied glibly, having clearly prepared for the conversation on the way there. "We might have recovered some of your stolen property but we need your husband to identify it first. Could we speak to him?"

"Don't think so. We got separated a while ago, he isn't living here any longer. I am minding the house and the kids and the bastard is sitting on his ass and …"

The woman's flow of indignation was deftly interrupted by Kenzie. "And could we get an address for where exactly he is sitting on his ass?"

The woman choked on her last words and glowered at the girl.

"Unless of course you are feeling like obstructing justice and displeasing the Ash", the wolf sweetly elaborated.

Mrs Lambert seemed to be debating with herself for a few second before muttering gruffly, "I'll jot down the address for you".

Extending a piece of paper the woman couldn't resist a parting shot, "Remind the creep his kids are quite a handful and the mortgage won't pay itself … "

Dyson squinted – the woman was already giving him a headache – and made a quick exit pushing "Officer McKenzie" in front of him. Behind their backs Mrs Lambert was yet again screaming at her children to keep away from her flower-bed.

"What a colossal shrew," Kenzi breathed out when they got back to the bike. "My bleeding heart goes out to her hubby. Is she some kind of a nagging fae?"

"Just a trooping fairie turned sour by an unhappy marriage", Dyson replied and Kenzi chuckled, "Officer McKenzi? I am making it up the career ladder, D-man"

"What was I suppose to tell her? That you're a nosy human pet?" Dyson blurted out.

More than a little bit hurt, Kenzi punched him in the shoulder with all her might "Excuse me?!". But the fight went out of her when she saw the wolf wince with pain. "Sorry, D, I forgot you are injured".

"Serves me right, Kenz", Dyson was feeling repentant, "I am not good with words, you know, though have had centuries to learn… "

"Are you trying to say sorry?" Kenzi was already beaming, "For I am totally of the mind you should"

"You are definitely not a pet, though I won't take back the nosy part", the wolf affectionately pulled Kenzi into a hug.

"Where next?" she asked eagerly leaning into his embrace.

"To find Jean Lambert", Dyson waved the piece of paper obtained from the disgruntled housewife in the air. "To return the lamp and get something in exchange"

Kenzi knew better than to probe further and climbed onto the bike. "At least I'll cop a few more feels of the scrumptious wolf on the way", she thought to herself.

Jean Lambert's address led them to a much seedier neighbourhood, to a shabby apartment above a pizza joint. Dyson knocked on the door with a faded number scribbled in what looked like chalk and moved a bit forward shielding Kenzi with his frame. Through the thin partition they could hear hesitant footsteps and a voice asking, "Are you from the bank?"

"No, Jean, it's detective Dyson, we are here to see you about the lamp", he called out. After a minute's delay they heard a clanging sound and the door was cracked open to reveal a small dark-skinned man in boxer shorts and an untied robe.

""About the lamp?" he rambled. "I thought you were the landlord, or from the bank, or from my ex. Oh, about MY lamp! Have you found it?!" He exclaimed putting his right hand over his heart.

"Yes, we've got it", Dyson confirmed.

"Finally!" Jean's face lit up and he made a sweeping gesture to lead them inside. "What splendid news, my dear guests!"

They filed into a poky flat and were seated on a smeared sofa in front of a coffee table with the remnants of a pizza and, oddly enough, a hukka.

"Pepperoni", Kenzi diagnosed the leftovers with an air of a connoisseur, her stomach growling.

Dyson gave her a stern look. "What?" she raised an eyebrow, "I'm starving. Maybe, you managed to grab a rabbit or a badger when you were chasing Magpie. I didn't, I was busy worrying for you"

Dyson could only shrug with a Kenzi-will-be-Kenzi expression on his face and got down to business. He put the lamp wrapped-up in a piece of cloth on the coffee table and leaned back.

"This is your lamp, Jean, and we are here to trade it", he stated calmly.

Jean wasn't able to tear his gaze away from the lamp, his eyes shining, his face ecstatic, whether from seeing his lost property or from the effects of the hukka Kenzi couldn't tell.

"Whatever you want", he offered, "provided it's on the list and you follow the instructions"

"Provided you want your lamp back, you'll amend the list and explain the instructions" Dyson countered, putting his large hand on the lamp.

"Of course, of course", Jean was all beaming smiles and polite words again. "So, what is it you want in exchange for my one and only lamp?"

"A safety belt for her" and Dyson pointed at the girl sitting next to him.

Chapter 8

"A safety belt?" Kenzi asked incredulously. "You've been dragging me along for a safety belt? Are you gonna gift me your car or what?"

"Humans", Jean sighed ruefully, "so rash in their judgments"

"It's not a real safety belt, Kenz", Dyson tried to explain, "it's something that can keep you safe, an amulet, so to say."

"But it looks like a belt and is used by a fae owner to keep his human pet safe in dire circumstances", Jean interjected helpfully.

Dyson shot him a murderous look while Kenzi threw her arms up in the air. "I hear the word pet once again, someone won't need a lamp six feet under"

"Calm it, Kenz", Dyson took one of her hands in his, "We are here for a purpose, let's follow it through"

"Jean, the lamp is yours in return for the belt", he formally annunciated.

Jean lit up with joy, literally, turned into a spot of orange radiance and vanished into thin air.

Kenzi was gaping not sure what to make of it. "Where is he?" she finally managed out. Dyson seemed unfazed and pointed to the lamp. "Inside"

"So, he is like what, a jinnee? A jinnee of the lamp?", it dawned on her.

Before Dyson could answer, a spot of orange rematerialized again and a very grinning Jean was right in front of them.

"I have just conducted a thorough inventory of my stocks and found a very suitable belt", he said happily, "Mind that, we'll probably have to make another hole as this one here doesn't have much on her bones"

"Excuse me!" Kenzi exclaimed bringing her hand up to her chest, "Might not be much, but all in the right places"

"Women of my country don't look like starved sparrows", Jean went on chastising her but catching the wolf's death glare changed his tack.

"So, here is your item", he extended his hand with a thin strip of orange tinted leather in it, which Dyson took gingerly.

"Orange?" Kenzi's mood didn't stand a snowman's chance to improve, "Have you ever seen me in orange, D? Can you change the colour, Jean, and preferably choose another safety accessory?"

"No, I am not omnipotent, I am just dealing in useful trinkets", the jinnee explained, "and sorry, the colour scheme selections are limited"

But the wolf was done talking fashion choices. Without wasting his breath he put the belt around Kenzi slender waist and did the clasp. The girl inhaled – the belt felt surprisingly comfy, light and soft, practically imperceptible. When she looked down she found out that it didn't even mar the perfect black of her top – it had actually disappeared.

"What the fae…", she murmured, "And what now? Do I turn invincible? Super Kenzi powered to kick asses?"

Jean shook his head. "It doesn't work this way, it serves only to put up a protection shield against any ill-intending fae. And it actually has to be activated first and it has its switch"

"What's the switch for this one?" the girl asked.

"Grief", Jean's voice dropped a bit. "Once the little pet is truly grieving for someone she loves, the powers of the belt will kick in"

"Grief?" Kenzi gulper a premonition creeping over her. She turned to Dyson, "D-man, you knew? What the hell does it mean?"

"I told you the amulet is designed for the pets whose owners know they might die and leave their favourites behind. So, the grief for their master is supposed to trigger the protection forces", Jean lectured her while the wolf was keeping his poker face firmly in place.

"I'll let the p-word slide for the moment but I am not going to do the grieving, no way! You told me Bo would survive, you promised me", Kenzi fell into a full blown conniption fit. She grabbed the lapels of Dyson's jacket to pull herself up and look him in the eye.

Dyson tried for his most calming smile and tone of voice, "And I am promising you again, Bo will survive the trial. I am going to offer myself up as Bo's aide in the Temple and personally see to it"

"So, what's the deal with the grief thing", the girl asked perplexed and then the penny dropped, "Are you telling me you are not gonna make it out of there?"

"I can't be sure, Kenz" Dyson answered softly, "I won't lie, it's dangerous. But the belt is just a precaution, just in case it turns out too dangerous. Just something to set my mind at rest as far as you are concerned. To focus on helping Bo", he piled on hastily eager to reassure the girl.

"It doesn't mean I have to activate the belt, right?" Kenzi turned to Jean.

"No, if there is no need for it, you can just keep if on for decorative purposes or take it off altogether", Jean said.

"Decorative, my ass", Kenzi snorted. "Decoration should decorate, not burn my retina or blend into the background"

Dyson relaxed sensing a shift in her mood and pressed his flimsy advantage by elaborating how helpful her wearing the belt just in case will be for both him and Bo, and how they will together laugh it off when the Temple adventure is finally over. Kenzi had to admit it sounded sensible and deep down she felt more than a little better for knowing D-man was so concerned with her destiny. After a short bout of emotional outpourings was over they thanked Jean again and said they had to get going to be in time for the Dawning.

Jean seemed all too glad to be at long last rid of his guests and alone with his lamp. But seeing them out he waxed sentimental, "Thank you again for retrieving my dearest lamp - my safe haven from my ex-wife, the mortgage, the ungrateful brats of children. And now that I am back in the dealing business I'll definitely raise a lump sum."

Kenzi chuckled good-humouredly and was the first one across the threshold with Dyson falling slightly behind.

"Detective", Jean called out after him in a much lower voice, "That's one strange pet you have"

"She is not a pet", Dyson bristled surprising himself with the intensity of his resent at Kenzi being belittled by the word, "She is so much more than I can barely put it into words"

"Then why are you lying to her?" Jean asked slyly, "You know perfectly well that you won't make it out if you offer yourself up as the Hand at the Dawning"

Chapter 9

It was only seeing Dyson dead on the floor at the Dahl that brought home to Kenzi what sort of nightmare he himself must have been through when he had been holding Inari's bloodied body. Never before in her rather short but more than averagely eventful life had she experienced such a misery, such a sense of loss. No matter what she had been telling herself, what reassurances she had been carefully devising in her confused mind, there was no way she could have prepared herself to losing any of her two most precious people.

The wait for Bo and Dyson to reappear from the Temple was by far the most nerve-wrecking and subduing experience for the naturally chipper human girl. It was the inactivity and the total helplessness that was doing her in. That and the deep-seated conviction that the wolf was taking an inordinate amount of risk by standing up for the woman he loved. For Bo the Dawning was the inescapable rite of passage, for Dyson the danger was unnecessary and of his own choosing. That was something Kenzi could absolutely relate to. She would have opted to take on any risk rather than sit on her perfectly shaped little ass, helpless to help her family and going through the emotional wringer for them. That was what she had done when she had gone on her not so social visit to the Norn to retrieve Dyson's love. Facing one of the most feared creatures in the Fae world was preferable to seeing her dearest shifter broken, desperate and more pained by the emptiness of feeling than he could ever be by any feeling at all.

Even Trick's kind reassurance of her place among the Fae and his protection extended to het did little to alleviate Kenzi's worry for the pair undergoing the trial. If anything, Tricks words about claiming her and taking her under his metaphorical wing, if the worst came to the worst, only served to dispel any lingering doubt she might still have concerning the decision she had taken about the belt.

Incidentally, the damned belt was clouding the mind's eye pretty heavily and taking the afore mentioned decision was far from a walk in the park. Sitting at the bar and nursing a drink she didn't even feel like drinking, Kenzi was doing a kind of a self-talk "I am an independent and determined woman in my own right, absolutely gorgeous to boot. And Dyson with his bossiness and his overprotectiveness, though at times duly appreciated, cannot tell me what to do" However, after another twenty minutes of excruciating wait the girl had actually to admit to herself that Dyson could, in fact, feel free to tell her what to do all he pleased as far as he made it out in one piece. Which he actually did, at least the one piece part, but that one piece was not breathing.

Kenzi was still silently addressing the still-full glass when she heard Bo's desperate cries and turned to see her bff cradling Dyson spread on the floor. "He's only injured, please God, he's alive, please, someone whoever you are up there " Kenzi couldn't even remember the last time she prayed but that was definitely the time for it. She covered the short distance to where Bo and Dyson were and fell hard on her knees in front of the shifter. She slapped his cheeks, probed at his neck pulse, but to no avail. "No, D, not like this, you can't, you promised" She was no longer aware of what she said out loud and what was only inside her head. But Dyson was so very still, so cold that Kenzi suddenly found it difficult to breathe.

The girl was pushed aside by Lauren in her doctor's mode, trying to CPR the wolf. She stood back, wringing her hands, then pressing them to her mouth as if she was afraid of letting the words escape. Because she knew that what she might be saying was totally incongruous, not in front of her bestie or all these fae … people worried sick for their friend. She could only say it in her head, say that her life is running out together with the hope to revive the wolf, that her heart was as still as his, that probably he was her heart though she had never hoped to become his.

And when Bo did her Supersuccubus thing and Kenzi felt her lifeforce being sucked out of her body with a painful shudder, she didn't resent it, she was instinctively willing to give it all up. And then she watched a bright stream of energy enter Dyson's body and kick his system back into action. Kenzi didn't even feel drained by her chi-loss – she felt as revived as the man coughing his resurrected lungs back into life.

Dyson re-emerged from his death-sleep to a sharp pain in his chest, to shrill air entering his lungs and to Bo's lovely face looking down at him with immense relief and tenderness. "Hey you", he wheezed out, putting up his hand to cup her cheek wet with tears. His depleted force only lasted him a moment and then he dropped his head on the floor again, but plagued by another worry he immediately rallied the remaining shreds of energy to look up again, to look at Kenzi, crouching a couple of steps away from her. Her eyes were brimming with tears, and her little face was scrunched with a wealth of emotion he would never be able to describe. Nor to forget.

Later that eventful and momentous night, wrapping up their victory with a celebratory shot Kenzi asked Bo if Lauren would take good care of Dyson. But despite Bo's confident assurances that Lauren was a wonderful doctor, the girl knew what she was going to do as soon as her exhausted, though triumphant, friend went to sleep in her canopy covered bed.

**_A belated disclaimer: The lost Girl series is by no way my creation, no monetary gain is to be obtained from using its wonderful characters. _**

**_Author's Note: I am desperately trying my best to keep up with the original story line, up to episode 9 and then to incorporate some of the rest of the episodes, so minor spoiler alert! My story, though, will soon have to go off on a track of its own to suit my purposes, which is to find a convincing way to bring these two together without distorting their characters more than it will be strictly necessary. Thank you to all those reviewing, following and favouring my little work. Sorry for any mistakes, inaccuracies or liberties I might take with the language I passionately love but not command as a native speaker can._**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 10

Kenzi slipped out of the house unnoticed by the post-Dawning Bo sleeping off the residual effects of her victory laced with booze. The human girl knew that Lauren had taken Dyson to the compound hospital for observation. She also knew that the wolf was not going to like it one bit. What she didn't know was how to close the geographical gap between herself and the said wolf. Her heroic musings extended as far as scaling the compound walls and lock-picking her way inside. However, when she found herself right in front of the one of the most fae-protected places in the city she was suddenly getting cold feet. The walls looked rather unscaleable, which turned picking the locks into a futile mental exercise. After the exertions of last night Kenzi opted for the simplest solution. "If you can't use the muscle, use the charm", she said to herself and called the blonde doctor.

"Hiya, LoLo", she sang in to the cell, "How is it going this time of the night?"

"Kenzi?" Lauren went from surprised to alerted, "Is anything wrong with Bo?"

"No-no, Bo is just fine," Kenzi hurried to reassure her, "Much finer, actually than you and me combined – she is catching her sweet Zs while we are deep-frosting our exquisite human asses in subnormal temperatures outside"

"I am actually inside and the temperature is well above zero Celsius, to be precise … " Lauren started only to be interrupted by the impatient girl unconcerned with precision

"So you are still at the compound", she cut right to the heart of the matter or rather to the matter at her heart, "How is Dyson?"

"Not that bad considering he was dead a short while ago", the doctor's tone got noticeably drier but Kenzi was not in the mood for sensitivity.

"Human to human, LoLo, I need a small favour"

"How small a favour are we talking here?" Lauren asked cautiously - Kenzi on the prowl, alone and with an agenda of her own could not bide well.

"I need to get inside to see him and you are my key to the castle, that is, to the compound", Kenzi chose not to beat about the bush.

"I am not at liberty to let you in. The Ash's residence is not exactly open for fae visitors, let alone humans and you know it perfectly well"

"And you know well that the said Ash is like my twin brother, only more tanned and with a lame dress sense and I could ask him but figured as you and I are on the same Bo-length now you might help me out?"

"Or I might go get Bo and we'll do the sick-visiting together. Quite a Hallmark moment it will make – the grateful girls coming to see their saviour full of gratitude and of cleavage", Kenzi went all out on the persuasion front sensing a hesitation in Lauren.

"Get your frost-bitten behind to the back entrance", Lauren finally snapped and hung up.

"Frost-bitten? Ha, you wish!" Kenzi triumphantly airpunched and trotted to along the wall to the venue.

On the authority of the Doctor for the Light the human girl was let and led in the inner sanctum and to the ward where Dyson was kept for medication and observation. Not so much for the former as for the latter, as Lauren admitted as physically the wolf was recovering fast.

"The wound to his chest is rather deep but it bled surprisingly little and is already closing", the doctor informed Kenzi on their way to Dyson's ward, "but the stress of being clinically dead and forcefully and supernaturally revived has taken its toll on his body. He is still very weak and most of the time half-conscious"

"Nothing a an extended nap can't cure, why keep him here?", Kenzi asked.

"Well, for doctor Kenzi's information, there is no recorded precedent in the Fae annals. We don't know how it can affect his system and … "

"I am pretty positive I know how a prolonged stay in hospital can affect the wolfman", the girl  
interjected and pushed the door to the ward. On entering she turned round and wagged a finger in Lauren face. "No go, blondie, give us some privacy here or I'll be make it my life's mission to storm in on you and Bo for the rest of the eternity and catch you at your most sensual"

"The eternity of you being insensitive – there could be no fate worse", Lauren half-smiled, "Just don't over-disturb him".

Kenzi looked around – the ward was small, it only contained a bed with and a bedside table with a beeping monitor. Stepping up closer the girl noticed a drip attached to Dyson's arm and it sent chills down her spine as it looked so incongruous, so out of place. In Kenzi's book drips equaled real sick and real sick didn't equal Dyson. And the wolf looking so pale and immobile on a hospital bed. All of a sudden, the girl was gripped by an irrational panic, which drove her to lean in over Dyson and put one of her hands on his forehead and the other on his heart. The warmth of his skin and the steady beat of his heart soothed her and she sighed with relief and sat down on the edge of his bed.

"Not kicking, but alive", the shifter uttered, his voice still husky and low.

"And still a chivalrous dumbass. If you looked a tiniest bit less crappy I would totally kick you", Kenzi announced with feeling, looking more like she would kiss him.

Dyson smiled apologetically, "Sorry, Kenz, I couldn't confide in you. I did what I had to – to protect my girls. Both of my girls."

"You did that, Bo is safe, she is tapping into her new evolved powers, she has her blonde love… And you nearly left me", the girl's face was oddly expressionless.

"You've also evolved and tapped into new powers", Dyson weakly tried for humour, "Now that you've got the belt. Were you grieving for me? Did it have time to kick in?"

"Wouldn't know", Kenzi deadpanned, "I wasn't wearing it at the time my small human heart was shattering for you"

"What?" astonishment fuelled the wolf enough for him to prop himself on one elbow. "Why?"

"Why would I want to be protected, why would I want to live on without you?", Kenzi said simply, for once not hiding behind her usual snark and bravado.

"You …" Dyson stuck for words to properly express his indignation at such careless attitude but then it hit him the wolf, in the very core of his being. The thought that he felt exactly the same when he had killed Inari. That he didn't want to live without the human girl. That in her shoes he would have chucked a safety belt into the St Lawrence it if meant going on without her.

"I guess as you haven't activated the belt at this convenient opportunity and you are not planning on doing any grieving any time soon I'll have to stick around to keep an eye on you", he said instead.

"Starting tomorrow", the girl nodded. "So, get your strength back before the doc guinea-pigs you"

**_The day after tomorrow at the crack shack _**

"That's the smartest you've got?" Dyson couldn't believe his eyes. Kenzi was whirling in front of the mirror in a black leather skirt barely down to her mid-thigh, a grey long-sleeved top and her usual six-inch boots.

"Hello, what's not smart about that", Kenzi shrugged his fashion doubts off.

"When I said smart I meant something more formal, more adult," Dyson was clearly getting desperate, "More subdued"

"You can't subdue awesomeness", Kenzi chirped.

"Ok, can you make it awesome and more mature at the same time?", Dyson tried for a more diplomatic approach. "With a touch of middle class. Because this is precisely who you are going to impersonate – an ordinary middle class girl who is happily in love with a reliable man and is planning a wedding."

Kenzi scrunched her face in disgust, "How boring! Can I throw in a bit of dark, gothic and interesting?"

Dyson did a face-palm in frustration, the idea to get Kenzi to work undercover with him didn't seem that great any longer. The only silver lining in the massive cloud of dealing with Kenzi's fashion sensibilities was the fact the best way to watch over the girl, as he had promised and fully intended to, was to keep her close.

"Ok, I'll do some sensible shopping and come up with something dreary enough", Kenzi finally relented. "That is if on your dime."

The girl got back to admiring her reflexion in the mirror. With a sigh of resignation Dyson fished his billfold out of his pocket.

"How much do you need?" he asked completely the wrong question.

"Can you measure perfection?", Kenzi was quick to snatch the billfold out of his hand and relocated the bulk of its contents into her newly-nicked clutch.

"And how much has Bo told you about the case?" the wolf decided to keep his calm at any cost, even at the cost of half his month's expenditure budget.

"Not much, she just said that in order to find a priceless piece of jewelry I needed to play a beautiful rich chick which is totally up my street"

"The piece of jewelry is not only priceless but seemingly deathly as all his previous owners did not end well – either committed suicide or murdered someone, usually of their own family or went insane. And we don't need to find it, we know where it is. The idea is to go and get it", Dyson explained.

"Getting as in _buying_?", Kenzi could barely bring herself to say the word she was absolutely not used to.

"Getting as in getting it any way we can", the shifter answered. "And actually, we don't have the money to buy it, so it's really up your street"

"And the rich chick set-up?"

"You need to look reliable to get close enough to the ring, and it is a ring, the seller is pretty big on security and keeps it in his out-of-town mansion," Dyson was giving the low-down, "So, we need to impersonate a genuine well-off couple from Britain who are willing to buy it for their wedding and who have already contacted the seller to that effect. They are currently held up across the pond so that we can take their place here"

"_We_ can …," Kenzi choked on the words, "You mean _you_'ll be playing my fiancé?"

"Yes, honey", Dyson couldn't resist a bit of ribbing, "It's a good thing you like high heels or I'd have to bend every time I fancy kissing you"

"But they are British, I can't do British," the girl lamely protested.

"I can, at least I can do Scottish, nobody will know the difference. And you'll play my mute British girl-friend – every man's dream. Ouch!" The last words earned him a punch in his barely-healed chest.

"Ok, just kidding, you can be local. We met when I came to Canada a couple of years ago. The main point is that the Brit I am playing is an acquaintance's acquaintance so, I'll have to brush up on my Scotch"

"So will I, at least on the Scotch of the liquid variety, if I have to play your squeeze", Kenzi muttered. "Why the heck did Bo tell me I am best suited for the part?"

Chapter 11

Kenzi glided out of the terminal doors in her six-inch shoes with a bored air of a blasé traveler emanating confidence and a lack of purposes peculiar to idle well-funded fiancées. Her silver D&G shift dress and Nina Ricci perfume were screaming well-off, the tall handsome man holding a possessive arm around her super-thin waist was confirming her status of an all-round successful and stylish girl. An abundantly-tipped porter was trailing behind with a couple of well-travelled looking suitcases surreptitiously staring at Kenzi's wiggling rear-end.

Neither the porter nor an onlooker, if there were any around, would have guessed that the D&G dress and the perfume were actually knock-offs Kenzi had got through her network of vague Russian relatives. That is, unless the porter or the hypothetical spectators were fashion experts.

Neither the porter nor an onlooker would have imagined that the man looking all the way a doting husband or an adoring fiancé or, at the very least, a tender lover was actually none of the above. An Oscar would have gone to Dyson for the gentle way he was pressing the delicate-framed girl against his side, for the devoted glances he was stealing at her every no and then and the light kisses he was peppering the top of her raven-haired head with.

A well-schooled chauffeur put himself in their path managing to perform a small bow without losing his rod-straight bearing for a second.

"Mr Ryan?", he intoned addressing Dyson, "Mr Hampshire sent me to pick you and bring you to Mr Hampshire's suburban residence". "May I take your luggage, sir?" he added opening a door of a super-long and super-shiny limo in front of Kenzi, who had to summon all her self-control not to let out a low whistle of surprised admiration.

Dyson raised a mildly amused brow at her and gestured to the porter holding their bags, "All yours, mate". They climbed into the car and onto soft velvet cushions to find a well-stocked bar in front of them. Kenzi felt a sudden powerful pull at her very heartstrings, but Dyson was quick to put a restraining hand on her already half-extended one. "Don't even dream of it. Ladies don't booze before 6 a.m. and not at all when they are on a mission"

"Russian ladies do", Kenzi protested in whisper, "I'll function better with a drop inside me"

"My fiancée is an inveterate teetotaler," Dyson announced to the chauffeur, who was already at the wheel, "Can we hope to get some orange juice, she is a bit thirsty after the flight"

With a respective half-bow, which he managed to pull off in the constricted space of the driver's seat, the chauffeur pressed a button on the dash-board and another drawer sprung open to Kenzi's left revealing a row of juice bottles. Kenzi threw the wolf a hating glare and grabbed a glass.

She had got her briefing the previous night at the Dahl with Trick giving her the lowdown on Joseph Ryan and his charming fiancée as and on the Ring of Conscience they were out to find.

Ryan was an ex-athlete currently owning the biggest race horse farm in south-east England and was rumoured to be madly enamoured with his little wife-to-be Louise, a capricious flakey rich kid used to getting her way. Seemed like they had recently had a falling-out and the poor sucker vowed to get her a unique present to patch things up. Through a common friend Ryan got wind of an antique ring owned by Mr Hampshire. The ring was supposed to be exquisitely crafted and adorned with a real rock of purple sapphire with a flair of a family curse to boot. So, the airheaded couple set their sights on getting the ring and contacted the owner.

Trick was more than vague on how he managed to arrange the Ryans to be held up in Europe while the impostors were supposed to dash their way into Hampshire's confidence as well as into his house. He was equally unspecific about why he needed the ring in the first place. Nonetheless, both Kenzi and Dyson were eager the help the Blood King out as they had learnt to trust the old man's motives. As an added incentive the idea of spending a few of days impersonating a couple of lovers was far from repelling to both of them though nothing short of a miracle would have made either of them admit it out loud.

As it was, a bit of preparation mostly to do with acquiring necessary papers and appropriate outfits got them into the flashy limousine and on the way to the suburban residence. When they stepped out of the car in a tight hug of a happily engaged couple, Mr Hampshire went out to meet and greet his guests from across the Atlantic with a broad smile. Kenzi got a bucketful of compliments while Dyson was _delighted_ to find out that Mr Hampshire was partial to horses himself and had stables on the premises.

"Joe would definitely love to take a ride", Kenzi immediately perked up, "all the way on the plane he was moaning about having to quit riding for a couple of days and now such an unexpected opportunity presents itself"

Dyson squeezed her waist a bit tighter. "I am sure a ride can wait, darling, I presume we have a purchase to negotiate first", he said in his best Scottish accent, which he hoped should pass for English.

"Oh, they are so uptight, the English" Kenzi purred, "chill, sweetheart. Don't rid yourself of the fun. We have the whole evening to do the talking, the hotel has been booked and our flight back is only due tomorrow"

"Hotel?" Hampshire cried out, "You can't possibly imagine I will let you overnight at a hotel. My close friend and business associate Peter would never forgive me for that. My humble abode is at your complete disposal"

"Oh, Peter, old chap" Dyson chuckled, "we have to thank him for the tip about the ring. Just when I was racking my brain about a wedding present for Louise". Here the wolf kissed the top of Kenzi's head which was barely reaching up to his shoulder.

"When we saw the photo of the ring we immediately understood that the purple of the gem matches Joe's wedding jacket perfectly" Kenzi couldn't resist a jibe, "You know, my Joe hates well-beaten paths, he has opted for an unusual colour in his suit"

"I am pretty sure it was your idea entirely, my precious", Dyson was caught between a laugh and a growl and to hide his amusement he lowered his head to give the girl another peck under the admiring gaze of their host. But unexpectedly Kenzi raised a smiling face to look at him. Dyson lips missed the intended target of her hair by a few centimeters and landed instead on her cheek a mere nothing away from her lips. The girl instinctively grabbed his forearms and for a split second they were just standing there in each other's embrace close to forgetting the purpose of their mission. Dyson was the first to snap out of it. "Right, horses you were talking"

Hampshire led them to the stables clearly excited to show off in front of a foreign equestrian while Kenzi was admittedly less fascinated by the turn of events.

"What the big F are you doing? You'll blow your cover", she hissed at Dyson behind their host's back.

"I used to be a skillful rider back in the day", Dyson replied.

"Yeah, like how many centuries ago?" Kenzi snitted. "Bound to have got a bit rusty"

"Au contraire, Louise", the wolf drawled with a contented smile, "I am sure I can stand the test and boost our credibility" "And take small revenge on a cheeky little human", he added to himself.

As Kenzi was soon to find out rusty was not the word to describe the shifter's horse-riding skills when he took a ride with obvious ease and proficiency with Hampshire cheering and admiring the Englishman's technique. The revenge part came to happen when Dyson dismounted after the ride, caught her in a hug with a full-on smile and hitched her into the saddle, ignoring her cries of protest.

"Hold on, darling", he could barely contain a laugh at the sight of Kenzi's tight face.

"Don't do it to me, D", Kenzi was scared into a cold rage, "The Kenz and horses don't mix well."

"Don't blow our cover", he turned the tables on her, "Joe Ryan's betrothed is bound to like horses"

"If I fall I'll skin you into a rug", the girl sent him a murderous look and grabbed the reins. As luck would have it, the wolf probably didn't fancy the idea of being turned into a floor cover or he was too partial to the tiny human to let her fall. He took the reins himself and walked the horse with a slowly relaxing Kenzi on top of it around, then he gently held the girl around the waist an into a fireman's hold to put her back on the ground.

"Stables are not really Lousie's social scene", he told Hampshire apologetically, "But she can beat me hands down where accessories are concerned."

The man took the hint and led his guests back to the house to discuss the transaction. They were shown into the basement vault where the ring was lying in state under a glass cover.

"Wow!", Kenzi eyes opened wide at the sight of the beauty. "It's really gorgeous. Should be such a pity to part with it"

Hampshire gave an overdone sigh of regret. "It has been in the family for a couple of generations. If only I had such a charming girl-friend as you, Lousie, I would never let go of it. But as it happens I don't and I am more anxious to raise some funds for extending my stables at the moment. So, I take it you like the ring?"

"Absolutely", Kenzi and Dyson breathed out together.

"And the price?"

"If my girl likes it, money is no object", Dyson said slightly haughtily. "We will complete the transaction first thing tomorrow morning"

"Great", Hampshire responded with glee. The family heirloom was obviously weighing heavily on his shoulders and he couldn't hide his delighted laced with relief at the prospect of ridding himself of the burden and making a lump sum in one fell swoop.

After a ceremonious dinner _Joe_ and _Louise_ were finally able to retire to the room allocated to them. Kenzi flopped onto the king-sized double-bed with an exhausted mien. "Time to compare notes, wolfie", she said. "I carefully observed the locks on the vault door. Shouldn't be a problem"

"There are at least two armed guards in the basement, they made themselves scarce when we came in but I heard them and the clang of rifles", Dyson added.

"You'll take out the guards, I'll take out the lock. Fae genetical superiority you so like to brag about plus my unique brand of awesomeness. A perfect crime", Kenzi pronounced.

"Right. But there's a hitch, Kenz," Dyson cut her short, "First in the stables and then in the house I smelt fae. A fae I've never come across before"

Chapter 12

Despite the lurking presence of a UFO (unidentified Fae object as dubbed by Kenzi) the operation _Ring Snatch_ (as once again dubbed by Kenzi) was to go ahead as planned. The preparatory stage was to wait it out till the household, that is, Hampshire himself, his cooking-cleaning-gardening staff and the stable workers went to sleep, before springing into action. Every once in a while Dyson unfurled himself from an arm-chair he had taken position in and walked to door to listen and to sniff, then to the window with the same purpose. Kenzi was sprawled on the bed with a magazine she had stashed in her bag but reading was not on her mind. She glanced at her wrist watch. "Quarter to eleven. Stop pacing, furry paws. Give them till midnight. It's classic time for mischief"

"I don't like unknown factors popping up" Dyson growled. "Who is the fae? What kind of? Is he or she after the ring too?"

"No concern of ours. Unless it pops up right in our way and then you'll dispatch with it", Kenzi answered with more confidence than she felt.

But the wolf was not convinced, something about the scent he had picked up on the premises was so off it practically made his skin crawl. Though sitting on his ass in the same room with Kenzi, who was consistently proving to be a bigger distraction than the shifter had given her credit for, didn't get him any closer to pinning the smell down. It might not have any bearing on their mission, but Dyson was used to trusting his instincts – this UFO was trouble and trouble was best dealt with pre-emptively. Purposefully he strode to the window and closed it, then he paced across the room to the bed and sat down on the edge.

"I guess, I'd better nip out and have a look around", he said softly putting his hand on Kenzi's outstretched legs. "And you are going to lock the door after me and you are to stay put and be on your best behaviour."

"The moment your back is turned I am ravaging the bar, fully stocked by the way, courtesy of our host", Kenzi said trying to hide her alarm.

"Who am I to stand between you and free booze. Just don't overindulge, we'll need you at your sharpest", Dyson smiled. In his book a tipsy Kenzi was marginally better than a restless and poking-her-nose-out Kenzi. He got up to leave and the girl jumped off the bed to follow him to the door. "Please, be careful", she whispered, a look of concern creeping into her eyes.

"I will", Dyson surprised himself by cupping her cheek and drawing his thumb across her cheek-bone. "And don't make me resort to cold shower treatment when I get back". He cracked the door open, took a sniff and stepped out. Once in the corridor he lingered for a few seconds to make sure Kenzi locked the door. He heard the lock click, heard the soft footfall and the swishing sound of the sheets under Kenzi's near-negligible weight. Satisfied for now by the girl's compliance with his instructions Dyson set off on his recce. He wandered around the house, taking in the scents and the noises floating around, successfully avoided bumping into a guard and a maid. He spent a few minutes listening in to Hampshire talking on the phone and was treated to a short rendition of their visit culminating in "the English sucker gulping the bait as soon as the little bitch fluttered her lashes at the stone". At this Dyson chuckled – Hampshire seemed to be of the idea that he had successfully pulled a very fast one on them and was already rubbing his hands in anticipation of the money.

Dyson was not particularly interested in the tales of Hampshire's business acumen but the last words made him stop dead in his tracks. "Money apart, I will really be happy to palm the cursed ring on them", Hampshire went on confiding in whoever his interlocutor on the end of the line was. "cause it _is_ cursed. My Dad kept telling me not to put it on under any circumstances. What with Grandpa blowing his brain out and a couple of ancestors ending up in asylums before him. And these killings – a couple of horses ripped apart and the gardener torn to shreds last year. And tourists found dead in the woods. The police wrote it off as an animal attack but I still think the damned sapphire is a trouble magnet"

Dyson's guard was instantly up. What Hampshire was describing distinctly fell into two categories – the ring inducing suicide or insanity could not violently kill. The wolf regretted not running up a closer check on Hampshire but Trick intel had seemed sufficient for the mission. Suddenly a realization struck Dyson full force – that was what made him bristle at the fae smell he had first caught at the stables – the underlying tinge of blood to it. Whatever was making mince-meat out of horses and people in these parts was clearly fae, was murderously dangerous and should be tracked down. The wolf set off at a half-trot – out of the house and in the direction of the stables where the smell was the most pronounced and where the free buffet for the carnivorous fae was on offer.

At the entrance to the stables Dyson crouched and took a deep sniff – the workers had already got off and the residual fae scent tinged with blood didn't seem to have got any stronger. The wooden doors were pad-locked but the wolf simply ripped it off without breaking a sweat and came inside. There was nothing to raise his suspicions – no incongruous smells, no fresh blood, all the horses seemed to be in their places, no clue as to the fae's whereabouts presented itself. Dyson didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed. Back outside he didn't even bother to try concealing the traces of his breaking in. Just in case the wolf decided to look around and headed for the paddock. And there the smell caught up with him again and this time it was stronger, fresher. Dyson went into a half-crouch and inhaling deeply followed the olfactory trail.

After a bit of meandering around the premises Dyson found himself back at the house and the sinking feeling in his stomach intensified. The beast was obviously heading this way and the house was where Kenzi was. "Ok, she is locked in, the door to our room is solid, I closed the window myself. She is safe", he rationalized in a futile attempt to quell his rising panic. The entrance door of the house was also already closed, which brought Dyson a momentary relief, but the windows in the second floor were gaping open. "If the fae is one tenth as fae as I am, he has had no problem getting inside", the wolf thought to himself, climbing onto a conveniently located bicycle shed and jumping form there onto the ledge and into the window.

He sprinted along the now familiar corridor and to their room. The door was really just as solid as he remembered but not nearly just as closed. "Kenzi!", Dyson rushed in through the unlocked door no longer concerned with keeping their pretence up. The room looked empty of human habitation, the room _was_ empty. There was a discarded magazine on the bed, the bar was still intact, all their things were in the spots they had left them, but there was no Kenzi. The wolf frantically swept the room looking and sniffing for any evidence. Kenzi's sweet scent was all around, but the fae smell was only pickable close to the window, which was also wide open. Both the door and the window didn't look broken, they were clearly opened from the inside and the only person to have done it was obviously the human girl herself. Moreover, while the fae didn't seem to move further into the room than the window-sill, Kenzi left through the door. Another big question was if she did it of her own volition.

"Why, Kenzi?" Dyson whispered flabbergasted, but he immediately shook off his stunned stupor. In all actuality, the only way to find the answer to all these poignant questions was to find Kenzi and that was what he set on doing.

Chapter 13

Despite her proclamation as soon as the door was closed behind Dyson Kenzi didn't rush to the bar, she dropped back onto the bed instead in the foulest of moods. It wasn't even being left out of the proceedings that was getting to her. In an hour she would assume centre stage in the mission and she was prepared to bide her time . However, the girl was feeling confused and unsure how to tread, not with the mission, but with Dyson. On the surface, everything was simple enough with him being her dearest (male) friend and her more than once admitted family. Whereas under the surface things were brewing into an emotional turmoil Kenzi had no clue how to tackle. The root of the problem lay exactly in that only fact the girl could never say out loud even if she landed in the Sahara desert with no people or camels for kilometers around.

Caught in the internal struggle to shove all the rogue thoughts back down into the least frequently used part of her mind she didn't immediately realize that there was a slight noise coming from behind the window. But when she paused her inner dialogue and listened, she heard words, words in the language she was already growing disused to hearing. "_Здравствуй__, __девочка__. __Здравствуй__, __красавица__. __Выйдипоиграйсомной_" (Hello, little girl. Hello, beautiful one. Come out and play with me).

"I should stop drinking so much", Kenzi muttered to herself and moved cautiously towards the source of the sound – towards the window. She pulled the curtain aside and gave a start. Right in front of her across the thin glass partition there was a big striped cat. "It's just a kitty, stupid", the girl smiled to reassure himself, "And the window is closed"

"Yes, it is closed, what a shame", the linguistically gifted cat had seemingly no difficulty to switch languages. "We can't play if you don't open it and come out"

By then Kenzi had already no doubts that she was not hearing things and that there was much more to the kitty than met the eye. Internally she thanked Dyson for taking the precaution with the window. "I'd rather stay in", she said out loud, "it's getting damp and there will be no reasoning with my hair if it goes all frizzy"

"Silly girl, don't mind the hair", the cat looked practically smiling and the words coming out of its half-gaping mouth were fluid and mesmerizing. Kenzi felt herself taking another step closer to the sill. "Look at me, look into my eyes", the cat carried on. "If you come out, I'll tell you a tale, a fairy tale."

"No!", Kenzi was trying to shake off the spell of the mellifluous feline but found herself looking straight into the creature's golden eyes instead. "_Сказку__? __Какбабушкарассказывала_? (Fairy tale? Like my Grandma used to tell me?)" she was already losing her will power together with any conscious control of her body, lapsing into one of the few happy memories of her early childhood. Kenzi opened the window and the creature suddenly getting a bit bigger in size leapt onto the inner part of the sill. It cocked its head to one side and went on instructing the heavily disoriented girl.

Following the scent trail Dyson was getting further and further away from the house and into the tame-looking forest, most probably the one where the shredded tourists had been found. Forests were natural element for Dyson but this time his mind was nowhere near enjoying the semi-wild surroundings. Dyson debated shifting into his wolf form but decided against it for the moment, first he needed to know what kind of enemy he was pitted against. He took in the air current from the left and from the right, comparing the intensity levels, and veered to the left. Kenzi's smell was growing stronger as well as that of the fae. Another couple of steps and Dyson could not only smell them but hear them, at least he heard scraps of a silver-tongued rendition of what he came to recognize as _The Mermaid_. "And the poor girl so deeply in love with someone she hadn't even hoped could love her back was ready to give up her very essence, her mermaid … "

Dyson listened no further, he leapt forward and stilled to take in quite a tableau. Kenzi was kneeling on the leaves covered ground before a huge cat who was evidently the tale teller. With each smooth word out of its mouth the cat, it seemed, was getting bigger and his teeth were extending and the girl was getting weaker her shoulders drooping and her head bowing further.

"Kenzi! Wake up!" Dyson cried out operating on impulse rather than a conscious thought. The girl shuddered but didn't raise her head. Without wasting more breath the wolf rushed over to her and snatched her up from the ground. For its part the cat-like creature straightened and got up on his hind legs to reveal razor-sharp claws on his rear paws. Dyson backed away from the hostile fae holding a very limp Kenzi to his chest.

"She's mine, I've told her a fairy tale", the beast protested. "I am hungry"

"No way, kitty. The canine here is strongly disagreeing with your feline", Dyson growled back and gently put the half-conscious girl in the grass on the edge of the path. With Kenzi relatively comfortable he half-shifted and went into a fighting stance with his own claws and fangs at the ready. The fae was clearly a much better talker than doer or, at least, he was no match for the centuries-old warrior enraged by his attack on his human girl - the fray did not take long. Soon enough Dyson pressed his opponent to the ground and prepared to rip his throat out. At that moment, however, Kenzi's sharp cry interrupted his murderous intent.

"D-man, stop, don't kill him!" the girl was already holding herself though with a visible effort.

"Give me a single reason why not. He is a serial killer", the shifter was not feeling clement.

"It has come to me, D, I remembered my Grandma told me about it. It a _Bayun_ cat – a teller cat. It lures travelers away with his stories, kinda hypnotizes them and eats them." "You were in a Pushkin's poem and you were much kinder" she turned to the feline with an accusing look. "Could have cleaned up your act for the sake of the art"

The Bayun smirked. "I tried vegetarianism – my fur got less lustrous"

Dyson was still doubtful and his fangs were still perilously close to the cat's throat.

"Listen", Kenzi went on with her idea, "Grandma told me that if you catch Bayun he will trade a tale of his for his life"

"I'll buy you a book of tales, Kenz", Dyson grunted. "Will be cheaper and with pictures"

"His tales are potent, they can cure anything. Can they, Kitty?" the girl demanded. The feline looked more like a Cheshire cat at that moment as he smiled clearly sensing an escape route.

"My tales can work miracles, if the tale is right and the recipient needs it", he answered enigmatically. "Who would you like to cure and of what, little girl?"

"Stop calling me little girl, you fae with your superiority complex", Kenzi returned indignantly. "Maybe we could start with curing that attitude"

"Your wish is my command as long as your friend's claws are that near", Bayun purred and suddenly began to chant something indistinguishable in a high-pitched voice dwindling at the same time to become no bigger than an average tom.

Dyson looked dazzled at Kenzi who was no more clued-in as to what had just happened. The wolf looked at the small ball of fur at his feet. "What am I supposed to do with this?" he asked with a note of disgust. "He doesn't even seem killable any more"

"I have just given you my tale, the one you asked for", the cat meowed.

"But I haven't yet asked for anything", Kenzi said confused.

"You asked not to be called little girl, not to be despised by fae. They won't belittle you any longer. I've treated your complex", Bayun noticed a fleck of dust sticking to his rear paw and proceeded to lick it clean.

"So, now what? I am supposed to experience an onslaught of Zen calm every time a fae looks down on me?" the girl huffed.

"You'll learn with time", Bayun didn't not shed much light on his techniques. "For now the deal has been done, darlings. I am free to go"

"You've tricked me", Kenzi muttered with an undertone of respect. "Nice con! Thinking on your feet"

Dyson's hand caught Bayun by the scruff of his neck. "I won't kill you, Bayun. But if I ever hear of any more killings in the vicinity I'll come after you on behalf of the Ash. No, scoot! Clear the area!" The shifter swung the cat in the air and threw far into the bushes with all his might.

"Talk of swinging the proverbial cat", Kenzi signed heavily and leaned into Dyson for support. "I hate big space, I hate forests, why do I keep finding myself in them?"

"Are you alright?" the wolf looked her in the eyes.

"Fine. Have just been hypnotized by a psychopathic feline, inches away from becoming cat food, got conned. But now I am hugging you and things are looking up", the girl smiled hiding her face into the chest of his shirt.

"Back to the mission then", Dyson said softly. "If you are up for it?"

"Strangely enough, I am. Just a while ago I was exhausted but now I even feel energized" Kenzi sounded surprised. "All these wilderness adventures are boosting my stamina. Hip-hop! Kenzi is raring to go!"

Chapter 14

They were back at the house. With the midnight gone the building was quiet, its inhabitants off to bed and the lights out. Dyson suggested getting inside the old way – through the window, but Kenzi cast a panicked look at the good 7 feet of wall stretching up between her and the window and was inexplicably averse to the idea. "Let me just start doing what I was brought here to do – pick the locks", she amended the plan. "You've done quite a lot of sniffing and fighting while I have been just spinning my wheels" She demonstratively cracked her knuckles and fished a pin out of her jeans back pocket. In a minute of fiddling the lock succumbed to her clever little Russian fingers and they were inside the dark hallway. "A flashlight would be handy", Kenzi said under her breath. "Not a smart move, someone might see the light", Dyson whispered back. "I can see in the dark. I'll lead you, hold on to me"

Still not very comfortable with the arrangement Kenzi, nevertheless, grabbed the belt of Dyson's jeans and followed his lead trying not to crash into anything. First, they had to go upstairs to their room to retrieve Kenzi's bag of tricks – which in her case was a selection of picks and jimmies. Then they moved cautiously across the house and down flights of stairs into the basement area with the vault and, going by Dyson's recce, a guard. "He is doing rounds of the house, checking the doors from time to time, but security is slack", the wolf whispered into Kenzi's ear. She shuddered involuntarily as his warm breath puffed out a strand of her hair. "Hampshire doesn't need it tight", she whispered back, "it's not exactly a treasure cave. The family has clearly gone done in the world"

The guard was half-dozing over a book in a chair in front of the vault door, as good as the sitting duck could be, and the wolf had no trouble knocking him out. Kenzi, on the other hand, had to fall back on all her street-acquired skills and tools of the trade. After fifteen minutes of strangled curses in Russian and much picking and pulling and twirling the girl heard the click and gave out a muffled triumphant cry. The door was finally open and they found themselves in front of the glass cover.

The ring was lying peacefully on a pedestal of royal blue velvet accentuating the radiance of the gem. "So beautiful", Kenzi admired aloud. "And so dangerous", Dyson commented. "Why would Trick need it?", the girl asked still unable to tear her gaze away from the jewellery. "Not a clue, you never know with Trick. He might need it for a ritual and to make a trade or just in case for a rainy day. If there is anything I learnt about him over the centuries it's to trust his motives and his foresight", the wolf elaborated. "Now, let's get the toy", he asid and extended his hand towards the glass.

"Hey", Kenzi slapped his hand away. "Don't you see the wire. There's an electric alarm here. What do they teach you in your police academy?"

"Wouldn't know, never set foot there", Dyson muttered. "I was taken on the force on my good looks". The girl snorted and pliers from her bottomless kit "So, let the Mama deal with it".

When the alarm was disabled they took the cover off and got the ring. Dyson looked at Kenzi – the girl still had that admiring dreamy look on her face and her hand was practically twitching to grab the jewellery. "You remember what Trick said – not to put it on, bad things happen to those who do", he reminded her and proceeded to wrap the ring in a handkerchief and put it into his pocket. "Yeah, sure", Kenzi gave a heavily sigh and followed the wolf out of the basement.

They didn't bother to retrieve their bags from upstairs, they were actually staffed with towels and empty bottles for weight. The only thing Kenzi regretted leaving behind was her marvelous dress which she had changed for sensible jeans and a sweater. But Dyson told her it was neither her style nor colour and dragged her out. They sprinted across the grounds, bypassing the stables and got onto the road. It was about twenty minute walk to the spot they had left Dyson's bike at when they had been planning their escape the day before.

Dyson turned to his human companion with a concerned look, "You are not too tired to walk", he asked, "I can carry you, you have totally merited it with your feat of arms today". Kenzi smirked with a self-satisfied feeling of having done her day's work and having successfully got under the wolf's skin. "Do not equal slender to frail, big feet, I am on top of my game. But if we come across a dirt patch I'll call upon your services". Dyson chuckled but was strangely disappointed by her words, the idea of carrying the tiny girl in his arms seemed to have quite an appealing aspect to him. Though the tinge of dissatisfaction was soon chased away when they got to the bike, masterfully concealed by the bushes, and then onto the bike. The speed and the small arms around his waist served to improve Dyson's mood no end.

Victorious, they stormed into the Dahl at the break of dawn. Trick was most probably not yet around, and unwilling to rouse him, they used the spare key hidden under a loose cobble in the alley and crept in on tiptoe. Kenzi made a beeline for the bar and appropriated herself of a bottle. "May I, sir?" she whispered to Dyson, mimicking overdone humility and at his nod snatched a shot glass, "At long last!" Dyson only smiled good-humouredly watching her antics. "Care to join me for a shot?", the girl waved the bottle in the air. "No, not yet, first I want to be done with this", Dyson replied, took the wrapped-up ring out of his pocket and put it on the counter. "With the level of noise you are creating, Kenz, I would say there's no point in being subtle, I'll go down to the lair and wake up Trick if he is not up ", he added and strode out.

Left alone, Kenzi downed the shot in one gulp and marveled again at her good mood and perkiness. After what she had been through in the course of one night she would have expected her little human body to start giving up. "Adventure is obviously good for me", the girl said to herself and turned around in search of something to apply her sudden rush of energy to. Her eyes wandered to the spot on the counter where Dyson had just put the ring.

Down in Trick's lair Dyson was giving the Blood King the rundown on the events of the previous night.

"The Bayun cat? Can't say I've ever heard of him", Trick sounded intrigued.

"It's some Russian fae, the staff of folk tales, if Kenzi's Grandma can be considered a reliable source", Dyson supplied.

"I'll check it out later", Trick said, "The point is you've managed to get the ring"

"Will you now explain what kind of fae magic it is?", Dyson was still curious. "How does it induce insanity or suicide?"

"Well, strictly speaking, it doesn't", the Blood King smiled, "It's called the Ring of Conscience or the Ring of Truth and, actually, the only thing it induces upon the wearer is looking deep into your own soul and come up with whatever most self-concealed truth lurks there. It just that people who have sinned a lot tend to react accordingly to the sudden realization of their misdeeds, some even take their own lives unable to live with themselves any longer"

"So, the ring is not evil, it's the people's minds that are dumpsters", Dyson said.

"For a relatively decent person the ring should not be dangerous but.. By the way, where is the ring, Dyson?" Trick frowned.

"I left it upstairs with Kenzi … ", the wolf started saying and stopped short.

"Who, of course, would not be inquisitive and rash enough to put it on", Trick finished for him.

That was one of the rare cases when Dyson resorted to expletives in the heat of the moment a second before he took off at half-run while Trick looked on after him with a sly amusement on his face.

The wolf rushed into the Dhal and for a moment was relieved to see Kenzi in the same place he had left her, on the bar stool. But then his heart skipped a beat. The girl had the ring on her index finger and her little face was contorted into a pained expression. In a blink of an eye Dyson was beside her, grabbing her arms and pulling her closer.

"What is it Kenz, what has it done to you?" he whispered near-desperate. Kenzi looked up to him with her enormous tear-veiled grey eyes. "I love you" she said with a surprised intonation.

Chapter 15

"I love you" she said.

"I love you too" he answered still not catching on to her meaning.

"You don't get it, Dyson" she said and then he did, he did get it and he let his arms drop from around her and stepped back, all confused and hesitant.

There is a gaping abyss between a warm flirtatious feeling caused by the handsome man, who you are used to thinking about as your otherwise unattainable friend, and a shocking realization that the feeling runs much deeper than that. That it is very likely the only true and all-engulfing love you've ever experienced in your patchy twenty-something lifetime. That the said man will not, cannot reciprocate your feeling because his heart is termlessly given to another woman, because the woman is your bestie, because they are both almost godlike supernatural entities who she is only hitching a short human-life-spanned hike with. A mess like that simply can't end well, not for her. That was precisely the reason she had locked the feeling up and threw away the key until the damned ring broke the dam.

Kenzi got up from the stool, pulled the ring from her finger but the damage had already been inflicted. "Hereis the usual me - putting my foot in it. I stabbed my bestie in the back and made a full of myself. And I've just lost you, your friendship", she said.

Dyson nodded, "Yes, our friendship cannot be the same"

"Can we al least stay drinking buddies, for Bo's sake? I promise I won't stalk you or roofie you", Kenzi made a pathetic attempt at humour.

"Neither of you is getting an extension on your tab until you pull yourselves together and sort this out as adult", Trick's stern voice pronounced from behind them. The short man walked over to the wolf and glared up at him. Under his reproachful gaze the tall wolf actually looked like a smacked puppy. "Think your next mover through, Dyson", the Blood king advised. "You are just on the verge of destroying the woman who means the world to you"

"And you", he turned to the girl, "I have figured you for a survivor, for a fighter. And here you go ruining your own life by concealment, by misplaced loyalty which Bo might not need at all. You are ready to fight for so many things, but not for your own happiness, you are throwing in the towel before the fight"

Dyson couldn't stand it any longer, he lunged forward, grabbed the ring from the counter and put it on his own finger. Being whammied by Tamsin had nothing on the sensation that immediately spread through him - a sudden confusion, a maelstrom of emotions, a whirl of doubts and then a splendid feeling of something crystallizing deep down in his soul and gradually rising to flood his conscious mind.

Kenzi was watching him, the wealth of emotion that was so rare to be displayed on his face, she detected a sorrow, a regret, a tenderness and she felt winded. She had to stop the torture, so she decided to pass the verdict herself. "You love Bo and you will always love her cause wolves mate for life. And I am just a human, I can't fit into your world, not for the long haul" she said with resignation.

Dyson could only nod at that. "Yes, I love Bo and will never love anyone the way I love her. But what the piece of bling made me realize is that I don't need her to be happy, I can let her go, I have to let her go."

The wolf moved to cup Kenzi's despondent face into his hands and make her look him in the eye, "But I will not be happy without you, Kenzi, I will never need anyone the way I need you. You have been at my side through thick and thin, you made me whole again. How could I have ignored it for so long? My life is given sense and purpose thanks to you. Help me out here, Kenz, cause this old wolf is utterly confused. What is it if not love, a love I thought should be impossible for my kind?"

"But Bo?", Kenzi stuttered.

"She'll understand. But I am sick and tired of being indifferent for centuries, of being miserable for the last year, not again, not now when I know what and who can make me truly happy", Dyson told her confidently. "And in fact, I am nearing the end of my spiel, which is by far the longest I have ever managed out"

With that he yanked the ring off his finger and put it back on the counter. "You can take it, Trick, whatever purpose you need it for"

"Yeah, maybe, I needed it exactly for the purpose of making one dumb-assed mule-headed wolf sing like a canary", Trick grumbled, still pocketing the ring, "But I'll keep it for the rainy day"

"What?!" the shifter and the girl cried out in unison.

"You sent us on a mission to find our own truth serum? How devious is that?" Kenzi finally found her voice. But Trick's back was already turned as he was making a well-timed exit. The girl was still fuming but Dyson's arm that had descended to her waist set her thought off in a different direction.

"But how long will it last anyway? I am still only a short-lived happiness", she whispered leaning into him.

"Well", the wolf suddenly pulled air deep into his lungs, "this is something I would like to put to the test"

**Author's Note: This is a short filler chapter and all emotional, which I am not sure I can handle with due depth, but just to give you an idea of how these two feel about each other and how it all fits in with Dyson's relationship with Bo. There is actually just one angle left uncovered in this story which I hope I'll manage in the next chapter. **

**Thank you all for reading and reviewing**.

Chapter 16

"What are we doing here?" Kenzi asked incredulous, looking around at the place crawling with Dark Fae. "Picking a fight? If yes, count me out, wolfie, don't want to smudge my make-up"

"It's already pretty smudged" Dyson couldn't resist a jibe, "from all the ring-induced melodrama earlier today"

"If I wasn't feeling so happily enamored I would kick you in the junk", the girl shot back.

"You might, unless you plan on using the said junk in a more pleasantly efficient way later", the wolf sounded almost flirtatious. "As to your question about why we are here. We are on a date"

"In a Dark Fae club?" Kenzi raised her eyebrows

"I had to impress you, right?" Dyson non-answered. "Besides, I had a feeling The Dahl would not be an appropriate venue for our first date – too many familiar faces. Here, on the other hand, we are among strangers, we are perfectly anonymous" Having said that, he snaked his arms around the girl's waist and pulled her deeper into the crowd on the dance floor and into his embrace. "We can dance" he went on, implicating Kenzi into a slow rhythm, "We can hold each other, we can kiss". The wolf ducked his head to meet her lips.

"That is, we could kiss if you hadn't chosen this particular day to wear low heels for the first time in your life, kitten", he laughed breaking from a fleeting kiss. "A mere foot of height difference should not deter my knight in furry armour", Kenzi intoned, "Cause if you count on dating a girl of your height, you should sniff yourself out a she-ork"

That elicited another happy little laugh out of Dyson as he easily lifted Kenzi the much-discussed foot off the ground. Due to the enhanced proximity their second kiss gained in length as well as intensity. The girl came out of it breathless but shiny-eyed. "There is definitely something to be said in favour of dating an older man"

"You have yet no idea", the wolf drawled.

"Yeah, a girl I once camped out with in a condemned building got it on with a dude twice her age. Back then poor little me coloured her an extra-cool chick. Hah! Seems like she has nothing on me. My not-so-mathematical mind boggles at pinning down how many times twice my age you are. Did you know Caesar?" Kenzi babbled on.

"Not so historically minded, either" Dyson commented under his breath. "No, Caesar died long before my time, but I knew people you would have read about in text-books if you had ever bothered to read at school"

"My awesomeness would only wilt under the musty tomes", the girl answered with a nonchalant sweep of her hand, but her tone immediately took on a serious, almost self-conscious quality, "But you can tell me about those people and those times one day, right?"

"I will', Dyson was quick to recognize a moment to drop the snark and give Kenzi all the reassurance she seemed to be craving. "I will because you are not only awesome but bright. I will also tell how much you mean to me and not one day, but every day. Starting today"

Suddenly he let her out of his hug and pulled her to a free table in the corner. "Will you get us a drink now?"

"Hey, are you trying to gigolo drinks out of me? Not so chivalrous?" Kenzi mock-protested. Dyson pressed a bill into her hand and pushed her lightly towards the bar counter.

"Get us a scotch each and I'll be admiring you from her, Kenz" he asked lowering his long lean body into a bean bag chair. Kenzi was about to protest again – the idea of dealing with the Dark Fae bar-tender didn't appeal to her at the moment- but she identified a peculiar insistency and a hidden purpose in Dyson's tone of voice.

"What are you up to, my gorgeous-rug-to-be", she muttered to herself on her way to the bar. "It's better be worth it" The barman looked grim and tufts of hair sticking out of his ears and nostrils in inhuman proportions did nothing to dispel the unfavourable first impression. Trying not to shake in her unaccustomedly low-heeled boots, previously commented on by her canine date, the girl managed out "Two shots of scotch, please" and laid her bill on the counter with a flourish. The barman looked her over with a gleaming eye but on a second's deliberation obediently got her the drinks and even cracked half a smile. Considering a set of crooked fangs Kenzi glimpsed in his mouth the smile could not possibly be a success with the ladies but it served to relax the girl a little. "Keep the change", the girl said magnanimously collecting the glasses and turned to leave when a man sitting on the bar stool to het left called to her, "Haven't seen you here before, beautiful. Care for a dance with a satyr enchanted by your mesmerizing eyes? And the next round on me?"

Kenzi jerked her chin up and brushed the fae pick-up artist off with an arrogant, "I am here with my boy-friend"

"Maybe it's time you changed a boy-friend", the satyr was not taking no for an answer obviously getting an over-inflated idea of his charms.

"Scoot unless you fancy being chewed on by a jealous wolf", the girl snapped surprising herself with her total lack of concern at the insistent suitor's advances. The very thought that Dyson was not more than dozen of feet away was boosting her confidence immensely. She headed to the table to be greeted by a practically beaming Dyson. As soon as she put the glasses down, he shot up from the bean bag to grasp her now free hands and pull her closer. "You've passed the test, Kenz", he whispered warmly.

"The test? Which one? Managing to look over 21 to get the drinks?" the girl sniped.

"You are still not getting it!" Dyson raised his voice over the din of the crowd and the music, "The bartender, the satyr hitting on you, everyone in the club – they all failed to notice you are human. And the only one way to explain this is that you AREN'T human, at least not completely human. Your Russian kitty, the Bayun, he never tricked you, he did it"

"He did what?" she was still totally missing his drift.

"You said you didn't like being made inferior by fae and he said fae would never look down on you again. And fae only view someone as equal if they are equal. So he made you equal to fae", Dyson went on, "I smelt something on you when we were in Hampshire's vault and later on but didn't have enough time to think it through. But after the ring cleared the clutter from my brain it kinda dawned on me."

"Is that even possible?" Kenzi whispered her mind working overtime trying to grasp the concept but failing.

"Is a girl taking on the Norn possible? Is a wolf falling in love with two women in one lifetime possible? Everything is possible with you, Kenzi", Dyson kissed her again barely containing himself from hoisting her onto his shoulder and hightailing it out to the nearest secluded place.

"That is probably why I was feeling so chipper after the cat incident", the girl mused aloud. "But what does equal to fae mean? Will I get powers or the life span or what?" she was still full of questions.

"We have all the time in the world to find it out. Trick will trawl his clever books, we will unearth the Bayun, if need be", Dyson answered the best he could. "One thing is sure, you'll be much safer in the fae world this way and it might mean our happiness together might be much longer-spanned than you feared"

That was something to make Kenzi smile without reservation. "Ok, I'll totally like it longer ", she added mischievously, which shattered the remnants of Dyson's self-restraint.

"That's it, we are out of here", he growled and, grabbing her hand, got them through the crowd and out of the bar in next to no time. Once outside he pulled in a lungful of crispy unfumed air and turned to Kenzi. At that moment she thought she would be hard put to remember the last time she had seen the wolf so happy, practically glowing. "Wait here, I'll get the bike going and we'll be off into the sunset', he told her with childish glee.

"Technically it's still hours before sunset, but I don't care", she answered, all doubts swept away.

With his long strides Dyson headed to the bike parked further down the street and Kenzi turned to look at the sign of their first-date bar when she heard the screech of breaks and the distinct sharp sound of a gun shot. Instinctively Kenzi ducked and crouched. When a few seconds later she half-rose to get her bearings, she saw unconscious Dyson being pushed into a van. The girl lost all notion of her own safety and started to run towards them but she didn't have the time. In a blink the door was slammed shut and the van sped off carrying the wolf away.

Chapter 17

As always cool, coldly gorgeous and slightly bitchy Tamsin was wrapping up the paperwork on the latest case they had recently closed with Dyson, who, in actual fact, had been playing truant since morning. "When the furry bastard finally drags his ass in here, he'll be in for a good valkyrie-style hiding", Tamsin muttered to herself at glanced at her wrist watch, At that moment she heard the doors to the office swinging open and allowed herself a sly half-smile, "Speak of the devil". The young woman plastered a sarcastic grin on her face and turned to greet her partner with a caustic comment on the tip of her tongue, but was stalled by the sight of a disheveled, mascara-smudged and overall desperately-looking Kenzi in front of her.

"What are you doing here?", the valkyrie hissed, grabbing the girl's arm. "And where the hell is Dyson?"

"That's what I want to know too", Kenzi sounded devastated and she was practically wringing her hands.

"You look a sight", Tamsin finally registered her incongruously ungroomed unkenzi-like appearance. "What happened? The girl lost her puppy?" despite the obvious gravity of the situation she still could help a snark.

"They took Dyson… They shot him and lugged him into a van and drove away, I couldn't stop them. We were in a club, we went out and then it happened", the girl's voice was barely above whisper, "I didn't know where to go, Tamsin, you are a detective, you have to find him"

"Shot him? Kidnapped? Did you get a look at the people? Were they people or fae? And the van? The number plates?" Tamsin immediately went into a professional mode.

"I don't know, we didn't see it coming and the van was too fast", Kenzi said apologetically, "but someone at the club might have seen something, they might have CCTV footage or something. And it's a dark fae joint. Please, Tamsin", the girl pleaded tears welling in her crystalline eyes. "I can't lose him"

With a heavy sign Tamsin grabbed her jacket and pushed the unfinished files into a drawer. "Give me the address of the club"

In twenty minutes' drive they were back at the club. First thing there, Tamsin inspected the crime scene and discovered an oil stain where the van had been parked in waiting and a couple of ominously looking blood stains where Dyson fell downed by the shot. Tamsin found it in her heart to assure Kenzi that the amount of blood didn't look enough for a fatal injury, not for a wolf shifter, anyway. She then told Kenzi to stay in the car and stalked purposefully towards the entrance, from which tipsy-looking patrons and loud music was spilling out into the rapidly darkening alley.

Left alone, the girl wasn't able to contain her jitters. "He is alive and we'll find him", she was repeating to herself like a mantra, holding on to these words like to a lifeline. After a wait which felt like eternity Kenzi saw Tamsin coming out and ran out of the car towards her. "What did they say?"

"Nothing much", the valkyrie was trying for indifferently factual but het own concern started to show through. "The barman remembers you and Dyson, you seem to have packed quite a punch around here. A certain satyr is still smarting at the rebuff" Tamsin grinned crookedly. "But nobody heard a shot, I would've been surprised if they did with the music they are playing in there. Nobody saw anything or anyone out of the ordinary, though you do understand that there's no accounting for ordinary in the fae world"

"On a brighter note, the bouncer at the door, he is an ogre, by the by, could tell me that he had smelled humans earlier. I thought he had picked up your smell, but he claims it was male and there were a couple of them around", Tamsin went on, "and on a brightest note they really have CCTV and I was able to pull the plate number. So, now we are after the car full force."

After a continuous radio communication they managed to pin down a few sightings of the van in the north-east suburbs and finally the van itself at the side of a dirt road, out of gas and already empty.

"He is alive and they obviously need him that way", the valkyrie said with a poorly concealed sympathy Kenzi's desperate face called for. "And he was taken by people not fae, which automatically gives him an edge"

"People who took him need him alive but still they shot at him from a considerable distance. Seems like they were pretty sure they wouldn't kill him", the girl threw back, "which means they know he is a fae, they know what he is capable of. It's not an edge, Tamsin."

"Fair point", the valkyrie conceded, "then it looks like we are his edge and we'll take it from here". She got out a powerful flashlight and proceeded to inspect the road around the van. "Going by the marks on the dirt road there was no other vehicle so, they either carried him or made him walk form here. He is heavy and injured, they wouldn't be carrying him far or taking a long stroll"

"Which means they are close", Kenzi finished her idea.

"And they clearly need a suitable facility to contain a wolf warrior in a murderous mood", Tamsin added, "We are looking for something bigger than a tool shed, Kenzi"

"Guess it's time to call in a favour", the girl fished out her cell, "did I tell you I was once flogging bits of stolen hardware to a super-nerdy dude who boasted he could hack his way anywhere but couldn't afford to buy a decent computer above the counter?"

"Too much info, Kenz", Tamsin snitted, "I am a police officer, remember?" "Though, who am I kidding, I don't give a damn" she added with a resigned sigh.

Kenzi's nerdy dude was really able to lend an indispensible helping hand with locating a muffled signal from Dyson's mobile a couple of kilometers away from the van and narrow the location down to inside the perimeter of a big medical company, which checked out as a major supplier of vitamins and immunity-boosters on the domestic market in Tamsin's police files.

"Field trip again", Kenzi mumbled despondently looking in the direction indicated by the nerd support. "And this time it is literary a field". A field they had to walk across guided by Tamsin's flashlight until they came up against a not particularly intimidating wire fence about two-meters high. The fence was running the length of an inner grounds and a stately clinically-looking house. Straining her ears Tamsin picked up the distant sounds of dogs yapping and male laughter.

"The guards are doing the rounds", she whispered, "in a couple of minutes they'll be here. So, we either disappear or attack"

"Dyson is in there", Kenzi pointed her finger at the building with longing. "He is in danger"

"And if we go off half-cocked you will be in danger", the valkyrie hissed enraged, "And I have a pretty distinct idea that he will rip out my treasured intestines if any harm befalls his precious little human. So, we are strategically retreating to return later, better prepared"

"What if the later will be too late", the girl did a bit of hissing of her own.

"Dyson can handle himself, he'll hold on in there", Tamsin said with the conviction she wasn't really sure she felt.

Dyson came to in a small dark room with a searing pain in his side and a feeling of complete disorientation. He gave his systems a few minutes to adjust and cautiously started to take his bearings. His side had been shot through and someone had obviously taken the trouble of running a few layers of bandage around the wound. The room, he was contained in, had smooth rounded walls without a window and the door had no inner grooves or key holes. He ran a hand against the wall – it felt like glass. He sniffed the air –it smelled almost artificially clean of any scents. But his subconscious tipped him the people who had taken him were not fae.

"Where is Kenzi? Did they take her too?", panic shot through him, more painful than the bullet. Dyson strained to collect his murky memories. Nothing distinct to go on presented itself, but he was inclined to believe she hadn't been with him in the car on the way there. "Just let her be safe" he had time to think before the lights went on.

The nerdy dude, who had been gracious enough to answer the surprise night call from a girl he had owed one, got another, much nastier surprise when a door to his apartment flew open and a very pissed looking tall blonde stalked in flashing a badge and sending a couple of well-worded threats his way. The upshot was the dude spent the rest of the night doing his hacking and cracking staff and digging all public and not so public information up about the company owing the field-located facility. Going on his intel in the wee hours of the nascent morning two very tired and sleep-deprived women were cobbling together a viable plan in a conference call to Trick and Bo.

"Seems like we have a way in", Tamsin finally announced blowing stray strands of hair from her exhausted face. "_I _have a way in, Tammy", Kenzi corrected her, "Cause it's me who is going in"

"You are our weakest link, darling, you don't think you can succeed where I can fail?" Tamsin was starting on her condescending rant, on the point of adding some pejorative term like _"the little one"_ but she suddenly felt compelled to stop. Something had definitely changed about the young woman before her, something barely perceptible and Tamsin was still having difficulty putting her finger on that change. Kenzi was speaking with an uncanny confidence and determination, "I am going in for Dyson, this is simple maths, Tamsin, if he dies I die all the same"

"What has happened to you?" the valkyrie asked in amazement, "I don't even feel you for a human any longer. What are you now?"

"I don't know", the girl answered in full sincerity. "Guess I am just Kenzi willing to fight for her love" "So, Marco" she turned to the nerd crouched half-asleep in his chair in front of his computers, "Juice us up for the onslaught!"

**Chapter 18**

A tall man in a doctor's coat was looking Dyson over through the reinforced glass partition. "His reflexes are off the charts. The rate of soft tissue regeneration is simply amazing. The wounds stopped bleeding almost immediately after infliction and now, two hours later are practically closing. This is simply amazing" he was telling a pale middle-aged woman with a clipboard standing by his side. "I wonder how he would respond to bone damage"

"We would have been able to test that if he hadn't ripped his opponent's throat out before bone damage might have been inflicted", the woman said drily making notes in her clipboard.

The man's enthusiasm was still unmitigated. "Don't be such a killjoy, Rose. We'll have ample opportunity later"

Dyson could hear their muffled voices through the partition and he wasn't liking their drift one bit. Since he woke up in this glass cage he had made considerable progress in understanding what his abductors were after – largely at the expense of his own health. First, he had had to stomach crazy ramblings of the man in doctor's coat about how fae were a mutant race, an abomination to be studied, researched and to be put at the service of the humanity – the true rulers of the planet.

"If fae are but freaks of nature why are they superior in their powers to humans?", the wolf could not contain himself from crying out slamming his hand into the glass separating him from his captor's smug face.

"In its eternal wisdom nature sometimes makes mistakes which we, researchers, are called upon to rectify", the self-proclaimed scientist answered after a second's pause, "And you should be grateful for the chance to help us on this noble path".

Next they filled the cage with a pungent gas and opened the side door to drive Dyson out, through a short narrow corridor into a wire cage, much bigger than the previous. There he was pitted against a huge bear shifter who, being probably chemically or otherwise enraged, attacked him viciously. Dyson didn't want to kill him but he had to fight for his life. The bear shifter managed to slash him across the chest with his claws before the wolf used his speed advantage to get the bear's neck in a stranglehold and snapped it.

And now the two mad people were talking about him as if he were a prize winning fight dog and were debating breaking his bones to see how fast he would heal. The rare feeling of powerlessness washed over Dyson, he had already tried to break the partitions or to unhinge the door in the cell but to no avail, even his fae strength was not enough against the specially manufactured reinforced materials. He was clearly not the first fae to be held in captivity, they were already prepared for all eventualities. It pained Dyson to think how many of his kind had already been sacrificed to this mad experimenting.

"We will need more of his blood", the man spoke up again. "We've already used up the vial we drew when he was unconscious"

"And how do you propose we get it out of him, Andrew", the woman looked at the wolf with unconcealed fear, "Short of putting him under none of our workers will go face to face with this animal"

"Yes, get your sidekicks in, I haven't yet had my protein-rich breakfast", Dyson sneered through the glass, "I'll have much more fun ripping them apart than fighting with my brothers"

"Your brothers are killers, predators, the same as you", the man called Andrew spat out, his face contorted with rage.

"You call me a killer, but the only one here inducing murder and hatred is you", the wolf cried back. "I've never killed an innocent human in my life!" He stopped himself in time not to say out loud that he actually loved an innocent human, Kenzi's image flashing through his mind and making his heart constrict.

"You have just promised to make a meal out of any human entering your cell", the scientist reminded in a calmer voice.

"They are no innocents", Dyson growled, "They assist in killing my race"

"Which gives me an idea" Andrew suddenly smiled, "Just today a new nurse has come to our facility, a young pretty girl no more than 25 years of age. I swear to you, she has no idea what she has let herself in for. As far as she is concerned she is hear for lab work with test tubes. I'll get her in here to draw your blood and we'll see if you are a killer of the innocents"

With a contented smile Andrew proceeded out flanked by the sallow-faced Rose leaving the furious wolf thrash out his frustration against the walls of his cage. Having let his rage run its course, Dyson lowered himself heavily on the floor, utterly exhausted. The mad man who had imprisoned him was evidently just as dangerous for humans as he was for fae and the wolf had absolutely no idea how to stop him. And Kenzi, his little Kenzi, was she safe? Would he ever see her sweet face again? These unanswered questions were haunting him right until the moment the door gave a high-pitched squeak and started to open. Dyson was instantly on the defensive but was in no hurry to attack. What if Andrew really decided to send in a guiltless human girl? Dyson was in no way going to hurt her.

A small figure in scrubs pushed in through the door held ajar, took a hesitant step and stopped. Before Dyson's eyes could register blonde hair pulled in an austere ponytail back from a young female face devoid of make-up but for a natural blush, his nose had already taken in an oh-so-familiar scent. The name was just on the tip of his tongue but he made himself swallow it. "Who are you?" he said in a voice husky with incredulous astonishment.

"Sorry to disturb you, sir", the girl answered self-consciously, looking uncomfortable with her mission, "Dc Halt has asked me to draw a sample of your blood. I promise you it's not going to hurt one bit" She made another unsure step towards him.

Dyson felt a hysterical laughter bubbling inside him and had to make an effort to suppress it.

"It's your first day here, Miss, isn't it?" he asked rather to hear her voice again than get an actual answer. It took quite an effort to call his Kenzi by the impersonal Miss.

"That's right", the girl was by now standing next to him and he could admire her natural beauty and her incredible eyes, though internally outraged with her recklessness in coming for him to this man-created prison.

"Now, can you please extend your arm", Kenzi rummaged in a small bag she had in her left hand and got out an empty syringe. She looked at the slashes on his chest and at the yet unmended hole in his side and her eyes filled with horrified pain. "I'll then wash and dress your injuries"

"Did Dc Halt instruct you so?" Dyson asked with a bite.

"But of course, the doctor told me to take good care of our patients", the _nurse_ raised her brows in surprise, "he said you got in a fight with another patient and severely injured him, so you had to be isolated. But if you behave everything will be fine" With these words she deftly swabbed the crook of his elbow and pierced the vein. After completing the procedure she hid the sample into the bag and fished out bandage and a vial of antiseptic.

Kenzi made quick work of tending to his injuries, but Dyson could see how much it hurt her just to look at his blooded chest. He wished he could tell her that he would be alright, he would heal fast but he wasn't sure if they were listened to. He longed to touch her, but didn't dare.

When she was done, she collected the blooded bandaged and headed to the door. "Get well soon" she said at the door and turning back winked at him, "Hope to see you again" With that she disappeared leaving Dyson more worried for her than he had previously been.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 19

Just a couple of hours before stepping inside the glass cell Kenzi was standing at the porch of the impersonal grey building of _Halt farms Inc_ with an ID made out to Kristina Solovyeva. The ID was fake but the details were as true to life as an encyclopedia. According to Marco's reliable sources a young nurse by that name had applied for a junior lab job at the company and had just been invited for her first day. It was a walk in the park for the hacker to get Kenzi all the necessary papers, including a diploma and references, as well as to send the real Kristina an e-mail with refusal on behalf of _Halt farms inc. _"The girl will only be better off for that", as Tamsin commented judiciously. "She'd anyway need to go looking for another job when we tear the bastards to shreds"

The shreds part was actually on Tamsin, who was to get the united fae forces rallied, whereas Kenzi's solo mission was to make sure that the man she loved didn't lay down his life while the fae were preparing their offensive. So, that morning the awesome trio parted their ways. Marco remained in his apartment to reminisce about the valkyrie's intimidation skills, Tamsin herself was off to Bo, and Kenzi took a taxi to the outskirts to start on her duty. The lion's den she was to enter was described as a clinic for both treatment and research in a wide variety of fields ranging from biology to medicine.

Miss Solovyeva and her immaculately forged passed the vetting by the security officer after which she was given a probationary pass, a white coat and a workplace. Her newbie shift was supposed to be all about being shown the ropes and Kenzi could only pin her hopes on the scraps of info about labs she had gleaned from co-habitation with Lauren, movies, shows and a bit of luck to carry her through the day.

It wasn't the first time in her con career she had to impersonate someone, but it was by far the most professional and complicated role she had ever played and the stakes had never been so high. Fortunately, the newcomers were still considered uninitiated and were only given the simplest tasks, like fetching anonymous specimens, setting the temperatures on a strange microwave-like appliance or filling mysterious numbers into a no less mysterious log written in a kind of a code. Kenzi was acquiring herself of these not particularly mind-straining tasks with relative ease while keeping her eyes wide open and her ears fully perked. No leads on Dyson were presenting itself but the girl was hoping for a chance of a brief recce during the lunchbreak as a bit of eyelash-fluttering and coy flirtation had already got her a promise of a tour around the place from a young male coworker who introduced himself as Ben.

On her tiny self Kenzi had concealed a couple of handy items like a lock pick, a minuscule electroshocker and a small vial of some purple gas handed to her by Tamsin who had refused to enlarge upon what it was but had insistently recommended opening it when at your wits' end. "The end of your wits' end is clearly but a hairbreadth away if you are about to go in alone," the valkyrie had commented, "but this little something might save both of your asses and thus mine when I have to face one very angry succubus keen on tearing me a new one for letting you do this" "Bo will understand," Kenzi had then replied, "her heart is just so big, she would do the same and more for me or Dyson or you." The last words had gained her an unprecedented sight of a blushing valkyrie who had suddenly lost her snark. "The cavalry will come as soon as I can get it and that will be soon, promise. Hold on in there, both of you," Tamsin had half-hugged the girl, immediately pushed her away and hopped into her car without looking back.

That bitter-sweet scene was playing itself in a fast-forward flashback in Kenzi's mind, when she heard her being called by a soft baritone: "Miss Solovyeva" which made her give a barely perceptible start and turn around. Right in front of her was a tallish man in his mid-forties with an intelligent face wearing a white coat with the badge reading _Dc Halt_. Kenzi immediately went into the routine of showing her utmost reverence and a shy awe in front of the boss and an eminent scientist, which he evidently took as hid due.

"I heard you have just joined our friendly team today, Kristina, if I may call you by your beautiful name" he said smiling with confidence. "So, I have a very special little task for your very first day here", he went on without waiting for her reply, "we have a patient here with severe anger management issues. Today he attacked another patient and started a fight resulting in grave injuries. He even had to be put in an isolated ward" Kenzi's heart skipped a beat as she thought she had a fairly decent idea on who the violent patient might be. The part she found exceptionally unpalatable was the mention of grave injuries.

"We'll need his blood samples for the tests," Halt continued unaware of her inner turmoil as well he should be because the girl's pale face, by a miracle of exercising her all willpower, remained inexpressive. He handed her a large syringe and ordered: "Come with me, you'll draw the sample". After a quick mental operation Miss Solovyeva decided to play rightfully fearful. "You said he was violent, doctor, will he have to be subdued to take the sample?" she asked.

Halt's smile at once reminded her of Bayun's – sly, self-content and calculating. "No need, Kristina, I am absolutely positive we won't have to, he won't want to prove me right on this one". Kenzi felt a look of not understanding was in order, so she gave one which elicited another smug smile out of the doctor. "Trust me, Kristina, this is all you need to know"

"Of course, doctor," the girl mumbled humbly. A sudden idea born of genuine worry came to her then. "You have mentioned the patient is injured. Has he already been taken care of?" she asked as any innocent professional would. Halt made a wry face but had to keep up the ruse of an upstanding doctor. "Absolutely, Kristina, it so goes without saying that I even forgot to mention it, take the necessary supplies", he said in a much less enthusiastic tone.

A short while later with a small medical bag and a wildly beating heart Kenzi stepped inside a glass cell and came face to face with a bloodied and incensed Dyson pacing his cage like a trapped animal he actually was. When the initial anguish at seeing him hurt and ensnared dissipated, the girl got a victorious feeling coming to the fore. She found him, she knew the way to his cell and she knew where the electric lock was. The only problem was to manage to come back there unaccompanied to spring him free. The consequent issue of getting out of the secured facility at least relatively unscathed was yet to be addressed but Tamsin's promise inspired optimism in this respect.

Having handed in the samples to the senior lab technician, Kenzi returned to her first-day duties and had to bide her time till the lunch. When the time finally came, Kenzi switched on her brightest smile for Ben's sake. "Ready for the tour?" the man was already standing nest to her, "or would you like to grab a snack first? We have a canteen here"

Kenzi had already pinned him down as the geeky type – much more confident with test tubes than with girls, so in stark contrast to her demure performance with Halt she went for a slightly seductive. "Not really hungry, I am more hungry for new impressions … and new friends" she fluttered her lashes at him. Ben was only too happy to show off his competence to the new girl who was by far the prettiest he had ever seen, let alone talked to, at work as well as beyond it.

Kenzi had to endure a detailed account of the lab's unique equipment, was shown a particularly disgusting specimen jars with something deformed and creepy stuck inside. It was only after another onslaught of geeky blather that she managed to steer Ben in the needed direction, towards Dyson. His cell itself was not guarded, but to get to it they had to open an electronically locked door into another lab occupied by a couple of employees, go through it and into a corridor meandering towards the wolf's cage. Kenzi figured the sailing would be much smoother with Ben and his security clearance (hers was majorly restricted).

Her plan worked like a charm with Ben gentlemanly getting her through the locked doors, exchanging helloes with the guys in the lab they passed on their way and meekly leading her into the corridor. But there a predictable problem cropped up.

Chapter 20

Kenzi and Ben had barely stepped into the corridor when the young man started to get cold feet.

"We should better turn back, Kristina," he said with a touch of worry to his voice, "There is nothing of interest here. Let me show you the staff lounge"

"Hey, why the rush?" Kenzi put her hand on his forearm and smiled sweetly, "Don't you like it here? Nothing of interest, nobody around, just us and the privacy … " She let her words trail off and left it up to Ben to work the rest out for himself. She didn't like to lay it on so much but deep down an appalling thought that Dyson might be running out of time was driving her on. Ben, though unmistakably flattered by the pretty girl's attention, was still not keen on breaking protocol. "Anywhere is good with you around but we really are not supposed to be here. This area is restricted access", he explained.

"But you have the access. Aren't you the cutting-edge scientist?" the girl answered teasingly.

"Well, I do, but you don't. We might be in trouble if someone reports it to Doctor Halt" Ben half-turned to the exit door.

"Actually, I am kinda initiated already, I have been here today," Kenzi pointed into the depth of the corridor. Her patience was running dangerously thin and she started to drop the act. "I took samples from a patient in a glass cell there or should I say in a cage? Cause it totally looks that way"

Picking up on her change of tone, Ben instantaneously lost his smile and his illusions, finally got his wind up and made a frantic step back. But Kenzi was already switching into her badass mode. Ben was not a big guy, more on the frail side which should have facilitated turning him into putty in her hands especially if those hands were wielding an electric shocker. In a blink Kenzi was at his side simultaneously tucking her left hand into the back pocket of her pants where the said appliance was supposed to be, but there she stumbled upon a snag as the pocket turned out empty. In a flash of recollection the girl realized that she had relocated the damned implement into her boots because it seemed too conspicuously protruding through the tight material of her pants. If she bent down to retrieve the shocker, Ben would have plenty of time to jump her or simply run away and alert the others in the lab. Internally Kenzi vouched to go for loose next time she was on a mission, but the situation at hand called for immediate remedying. More out of desperation than of inspiration she delved into another of her hidden pockets and came up with a lockpick.

"Don't move, Ben, and listen carefully," she hissed at her most menacing, "we are walking together to the glass cell and you are not letting out a squeak unless you want this sharpy-sharpy razor to pierce your carotid". Her words were accompanied by a firm application of the lockpick to the man's neck from the side. Kenzi was brazenly bluffing her way through hoping the thin metal stick could really pass for a razor and that the area she pressed it onto was anywhere near the carotid she was threatening to cut.

Fortunately, Ben was not in the mood for being argumentative, nor was he a man of action. Obediently he followed Kenzi's push and they crept along the curving corridor until it led them to the room-like widening containing Dyson's cell.

The wolf heard a slight rustling sound and got up from the sitting position he had previously taken on the floor. Kenzi's visit had dispelled all hope of her being safely left out of this mess and the wolf had added her precious life to the list of his immediate worries. He hadn't come up with any reasonable plan of action so far and was basically stewing in his rage and anxiety. The sound of two sets of light footfall made him perk his ears and press himself against the transparent wall. His hear informed him of who was coming even before his eyes could. "Kenzi", he whispered torn between concern and admiration.

"Yep, D, that's me, thought I had left my lipstick behind, decided to go get it back," the girl chirped but the levity did not reach her eyes. She gave Ben another push and ordered, "Open the lock". The man only shrugged, "I can't. I told you it's restricted access, my card won't work for the containing cells, only for the corridor entrance"

Kenzi swore first inwardly, then outwardly. It still didn't help, she was desperately running out of ideas as well as of allocated lunch break. Another quarter of an hour and they'd be missed and searched for. The lock was not to be picked, the walls of the cell were not to be broken. Her suspected fae powers stubbornly refused to kick in.

"Kenzi!" Dyson cried out to her through the glass, "Get out of here, run before they've figured you out!" "No! NO!" the girl shook her head, "We are leaving together or we are not leaving. I'll better be living in the neighbouring cell than leave you to be skinned"

Never the one to rationalize the girl was running on pure instinct when she pushed Ben away and without further consideration for his possible actions bent down to get the shocker out. The lab worker immediately did a runner but Kenzi was beyond caring. She strode up to the electronic lock on the door and went at it with her lockpick inflicting as much damage as she could on the button pad, managing to worm out a wire, then another. She then applied the shocker against the disemboweled lock and pressed the switch, releasing a charge.

Kenzi was momentarily dazzled and thrown on her ass by a sparkly blast, for a second the girl blacked out from the collision with the hard floor surface. Kenzi was no more knowledgeable about electronics than she was about nuclear physics but her desperation-fuelled act of vandalism against the lock, strangely enough, did the trick. The short circuit that she had caused effectively activated the release mechanism on the cell door and sprung the prisoner free to run to her prostate form. When the mist in her poor head cleared she was safely in the arms of the very concerned wolf calling out her name. "Hey", she raised a weary hand, "Still Kenzi, still alive and very much kicking. Thank you".

"You are totally nuts, and reckless, and fearless, and I love you, and we don't have time to discuss it now," Dyson said on an exhale and pick her up from the floor. "How far did your rescue plan extend?"

"To just about the moment I got inside the facility, I have been playing it by ear from then on," Kenzi had to admit, though not without pride. "The faevalry should be on their way, they'll be storming in any time now. We just need to stick it out till then without getting killed or caught."

"Piece of cake," Dyson remarked drily and looked around sniffing the air. "Why couldn't you just sit it out if help is coming anyway?"

"Seriously? I believe it is called a rhetorical question?" the girl pouted. "Besides, on the plus side, I have just got you to confess your love to me. You just don't crack open without pressure"

Dyson muttered something about spanking a naughty human bottom but it was definitely not the time either for the procedure or for quibbling. "There is no abundance of options, Kenz, We can't go back the way you came. The side door in the cell leads to a wire cage, no help either. So, what's on the other end of the corridor?" the wolf grabbed Kenzi's hand and pulled her in the direction opposite to the one she came from along the passage.

After a minute's trot they turned another bend and came to another widening part with another cell like Dyson's. Inside it they could barely make out a lying form of a man with burn marks on his half-naked body. Kenzi ran up to the glass partition and banged on it, but the noise elicited no reaction from the prisoner inside. "He's dead", the girl whispered with horror. "And he is fae", Dyson added grimly, a sudden determination appearing on his face.

They rushed on, past the cell and along another stretch of the passage, until they finally found themselves in a room with miniature flower-beds under fluorescent lamps. "There is a door", Dyson pointed at the farther end of the botanical lab and pulled her there. The door was made of steel and locked but probably wasn't designed to hold in a supernaturally strong prisoner. Dyson rammed all his weight into the door and it gave a little. Another conscientious push and it flew open and the sun light flooded the previously darkened room. Kenzi stopped at the threshold suddenly overcome by trepidation but Dyson's sensitive ears had already picked up the sounds of many feet and the clang of weaponry somewhere behind them and he didn't hesitate to get them both out and into the open air.

They were now standing on the edge of a smallish backyard sparsely covered with sickly-looking grass. Surrounding the yard as well as the building they had just exited there extended a barbed wire fence with a reinforced gate at one point. Kenzi's heart sank to her boots when she saw a group of armed men at the gates who had obviously noticed a tall man in bloodied and torn clothes and a tiny girl in a white coat emerging from the unhinged back door of the secured facility. Dyson immediately shielded her with his body, sweeping through a mental calculation of how many bullets he could take and how many of the guards he could take out before Kenzi could come to any harm.

The countdown started with the first shot grazing his shoulder and spurred into action by the pain Dyson pushed Kenzi back into the lab figuring being captured was still an improvement on being gunned down. He debated shifting thus reducing the size of the target he presented for his assailants but intuitively decided on a half-shift to preserve his height advantage and access to their throats. The wolf didn't fancy his chances either way but there was no backing out of this. He prepared to handle as many of the guards as he could when a distant sound of an explosion and gunfire reverberated through the air. "Faevalry", he thought with relief. "Tamsin did it!" Kenzi squeaked from somewhere behind him. The group of guards got immediately scattered, grabbing their radios and obviously ordered to relocate as the best part of them took off at a run. The defense of the outer perimeter under attack was evidently deemed far more important than catching a couple of escapees. Just three of them made the wrong choice of staying and dealing with the simple task of recapturing the tiny girl and the injured man. The man dealt with them first.

After a few strangled cries and a good amount of growling trailed off Kenzi peeked out into the yard. Anatomy was never her forte along with the other school subjects so she wasn't even straining to identify the body parts littering the yard. Dyson was standing over their remains his face and hands bloodied, his eyes wild and his fangs visible between his snarling lips. He looked at the mesmerized girl in front of him. "Are you frightened by me, Little Red?" he asked hoarsely.

"A wolf can dream", Kenzi managed a weak smile, "I prefer you in a cleaner and more civilized version, but under the circumstances you'll do"

There appeared some commotion at the gate and Dyson squinted against the sun. "It's the Ash's soldiers, I can recognize some of them." The gate went crashing down and a couple of fae spilt into the yard, a tall blonde at the forefront. "It's Tamsin!" Kenzi waved to the valkyrie. The wolf pulled Kenzi closer and immediately pushed her towards the Light forces advance party. "Go!"

"And you?" the girl asked puzzled. "There is something I still need to do, babe", Dyson answered softly. "Believe me, you've done your bit for today"

"Are you going back in?" Kenzi guessed. "After I got you out"

"I swear I have no intention to die but someone has outstayed his welcome in this world," the wolf pressed her lips to her forehead. Kenzi nodded with sudden understanding. "Remember, you've just promised and fae don't break their promises" Dyson gave her an uncharacteristic wink and disappeared in the plant lab.

In a couple of seconds a slightly out-of-breath Tamsin was at Kenzi's side. "Are you alright?" she looked the girl over and didn't find anything amiss. "Where is the dumbass of a Dingo?" she asked with ill-concealed care.

"He is hunting down Halt" Kenzi answered, "the one who puts fae in cages doesn't deserve a throat. Not in the wolf's logic"

Tamsin frowned and took a radio out "And in your logic?"

"My perspective on the good and the evil has significantly shifted lately", Kenzi sighed resignedly. "I just want Dyson back in one piece"

Chapter 21

Tamsin took Kenzi out of the yard to the awaiting car cluing her in on the way about the state of play. The Fae Military units had effectively taken the research facility by storm suppressing human resistance by weapon as well as by nature-given powers. The people were surrendering and their fate was to be decided by the Fae tribunal headed by the Ash and the Morrigan. The facility itself was to be scoured for useful equipment and materials while the rest was to be razed to the ground. "The Ash's order is an all-out cleansing of the premises without turning it into a revenge mission", the valkyrie drawled handing Kenzi a blanket to cover her shivering frame. "While the Morrigan's was music to my ears – kill them all. Makes much more sense".

"I am not sure if all the workers here were a willing party to the crimes against faedom", the younger girl shook her head, "I think a fair trial … "

"A fair trial?" Tamsin quirked an eyebrow, "have you seen what they did to your sweet boyfriend? Speaking of which, when exactly did he manage to become one?"

Kenzi uncharacteristically blushed. "Don't think it's the right time to talk romantics, and technically he is not my boyfriend. We just kissed, that's all"

"Fair point," Tamsin nodded, "If a kiss counted for a relationship, your dearest Bo should be my great beloved." She smirked at Kenzi's big-eyed expression and her voice dropped a notch, "But she is so obviously not. It just wasn't in her eyes. But the way you two look at each other speaks volumes and then again some".

"Why do I track an undercurrent of sadness to your words about Bo?" Kenzi was quick to change tack and divert attention from the matters of her heart. "Has my busty bestie struck right through your bitchy armour?"

It was Tamsin's turn to do the best blushing she could manage by nature. "Right, not the time to talk romantics, Kenz. Get a move on, let's go find the afore mentioned succulent succubus."

"You mean, she is here?!"

"I would be a kamikaze mission to keep her out of this. She was the second person I called in on this Zoo trip. She was spearheading the attack on the front gates last I saw her. And she looked mightily pissed", Tamsin told the girl pushing her into the car and starting the engine. "As it turned out, in addition to the sexy fleabag and the pesky ex-human, her Lauren is also somewhere inside. Which brings your point about unknowing assistance and fair trials back into perspective"

"Lauren is here? Was she also kidnapped?" Kenzi's surprise was beyond surprised. "Or do you mean she participated in the experiments or even in capturing Dyson?"

"That's yet to be discovered", the valkyrie sighed, "But seems like Bo has her plate full as usual"

The veracity of Tamsin's last words was soon to be substantiated by the scene that opened before their eyes the moment they stopped the car before the front gate and rushed into the main hall of the facility. Bo was holding central stage with a blue-eyed display of power meant to knock out several resentful human guards, which the succubus swiftly achieved and turned to the blonde who had been keeping slightly behind her.

"Now, where did we stop before we were interrupted?" Bo's unsteady voice betrayed a mixed swirl of feelings which could have frightened a full-grown troll. But Lauren was standing tall. "We were on a break, Bo. And it's not like you reported to me on every single thing you were doing or every one you were doing? Neither did I feel obliged to ask your permission to take an promising job offer" Bo was about to reciprocate when out of the corner of her eye she noticed the two women at the entrance. "Kenzi!" she cried out with unmistakable joy and relief, ran towards her best friends and flung her arms around her slender shoulders. "And Tamsin!" Bo exclaimed with a quieter note of enthusiasm, but her now brown eyes were warm. "You are al right, you stupid thoughtless brave little girl. When I heard you went to save Dyson all on your own for the umpteenth time, I thought I would combust. Would you ever learn not to give me such a fright?"

"I had back-up", Kenzi nodded towards Tamsin, who was studiously keeping out of everyone's line of vision.

"I am so sorry, Kenzi", Lauren in her turn sprinted to their side, "I swear I didn't know. I was contacted by doctor Halt with an incredible proposition, I thought I was doing research for the good of the humanity."

"Ever came to work on a wolf's blood? The one we all know seems to have lost quite a lot of it around here." Kenzi couldn't resist, her memory conveniently bringing up the image of bloodied Dyson in his glass cage.

Lauren'd gaze dropped to the tips of her shoes, the young woman was in such obvious remorseful pain that Kenzi immediately relented, "It's Ok, LoLo. I know you would have never done it knowingly. Right Bo the magnanimous?" Her favourite succubus nodded but her next words were filled with apprehension, "We all know that, Lauren, but you tossed the Ash;s orders aside and went off the deep end. Now it's all in the open there'll a hell to pay."

All the while Dyson had been gliding through the unfamiliar passages and rooms guided by his acute senses. He spotted scattered groups of terrified humans but, wrapped-up in his single-purpose hunt, he paid them no heed – they were not his concern. Once he bumped into a fae lieutenant he knew who was securing a wing of the facility with his unit and exchanged intelligence with them. On entering another of the numerous labs the wolf caught a familiar whiff of smell but sadly not the one of his prey, though closely associated with him. Rose, the pale-faced assistant was cowering under one of the desks with a wild fear on her face and a syringe clasped in her hand. With a single swipe Dyson overturned the heavy desk ridding the woman of her cover. "You wanted to see how strong I can be?" he snarled grasping the lapels of her off-white coat and lifting her off the floor with one hand. "Is your scientific curiosity satisfied or do you need another demonstration?" Rose made a gurgling sound and in a desperate attempt tried to strike him with the needle. The wolf only laughed forestalling her move with his left hand and throwing the human against the wall with enough force to make her teeth rattle and her elbow give a painful snapping sound.

"You were interested in crashing bones?" he sneered, "One of your has just cracked"

"Where is Halt?" he made his fangs show and stepped up to the prostrate woman.

"I don't know", Rose was violently shaking her head, "I swear I don't."

"It's the right answer if you are thinking of ending your life here and now", Dyson's eyes were already burning amber. He felt a predator poking through the humane part of his being.

"Andrew …he has a car hidden next to the road in case of emergency. His best bet is to go there. I swear … I know nothing more", Rose raised her hands in front of her face in supplication. The sight of a tearful bruised woman begging for her life left Dyson's human side unruffled, but his wolf was howling for revenge. His wolf was running along the lines of his own reasoning: rip her to shreds, the one who took a professional interest in crashing fae bones. Let the animal in you come to the fore, do what you were intended by nature to do – kill the prey, kill the lowly human. And her it was that a vision of another frail human flashed across Dyson's mind – a small pale face with enormous scared grey eyes shedding bloody tears. Kenzi on the couch down in Trick's lair, poisoned and helplessly dying. How could he even think these last words?

Dyson's eyes reverted to their normal blue, his fangs retracted and he was almost calm when he spoke up, "You will be tried in court for the crimes you committed and your fate will be sealed by those you despised and tortured, but not by me. You are a despicable, lowly creature but not because you are human, you just are." With that he left Rose struggling for breath through the pain and rushed out.

Once outside it was much easier to get his bearings. The road was to the north-west and that was where the wolf headed as fast as his long legs would carry him. When he cleared the fence and steeped onto the field he stopped to regroup. The big question was whether Halt had really chosen this escape route. Dyson strained his ears and inhaled deeply and his face broke into a wide smile with his fangs protruding again – Halt had passed that way no longer than ten minutes ago. Dyson shifted completely and took full advantage of his wolf running speed. It took him no more than a couple of minutes to spot his adversary on the path leading to the road. In a tremendous leap the shifter soared above the ground and landed heavily on the man's back crashing him down with all his might.

For a split second Halt blacked out from the impact and lack of oxygen, but then the terrible weight was suddenly off him and he was able to turn onto his back and draw his gun out of the pocket of his jacket he had exchanged for his white coat in preparation for the flight. There was a giant silver-grey wolf with its fangs bared standing a mere metre away from him. The man fired but the beast easily dodged and his muzzle wore an expression so akin to contempt that Halt was chilled to the bone with a dawning realization. The man's scientific mind was obligingly telling him that it was definitely not just an animal accidentally straying out of the woods and that ordinary bullets were not a deterrent against such an opponent. Halt slowly put the gun on the ground but within easy reach.

"Hey, it's you, right? Broke free and bearing a grudge. How about we talk it through like civilized pe… well, beings?" he started on a speech of his life.

The wolf growled and took a step closer evidently not so peacefully disposed.

"I can be of use to you alive, I have accumulated so much knowledge about your kinds, the results of my experiments", the doctor hurried on sensing that he was running out of time. The mention of the experiments was, however, clearly unfortunate as the wolf immediately bristled and snarled his hatred to the man.

"You claimed not to be savage, not to be a killer", Halt screamed near-desperate and that last plea brought on an indistinguishable flash of colour and all of a sudden a tall man took the place of the animal.

Chapter 22

Dyson was towering over his opponent, who had already scrambled to his feet, and he could no longer make himself consider human and fae issues, the only thought on his mind was that this person was his mortal enemy who deserved to die.

"You are not going to kill me", Halt piped up suddenly feeling more optimistic. If the fae had wanted to tear him apart he would have done it in his bestial form, he reasoned. "According to my intelligence service you are a cop, aren't you? You abide by the law, be it the law of the state or the laws of your kind. I am sure killing me goes against both", the doctor was putting his silver tongue to the utmost use, talking for his life.

"You were willing to risk an innocent young girl's life to indulge your sick curiosity – remember the nurse you sent to take my blood? I might have ripped her to shreds before your guards had time to draw in a breath. That goes against human law. You made my people kill each other, you subjected them to torture and sadistic experimenting. That goes against the laws of my kind. You can count yourself tried and convicted," Dyson said through gritted teeth, "But in fact, I don't care about law, not now. I told you already, I've never killed an innocent human in my life, but you are not innocent, you are guilty as sin." That was about as much talking as the wolf felt like doing before he lunged at the man in front of him. In a last-ditch desperate attempt Halt dashed for the discarded gun but he was powerless against lightning-quick reflexes and unhuman strength of the uber-pissed fae. The person who had tormented him, had threatened the faedom and put his girl's life in danger had only seconds to live before falling to the ground as dead as someone missing his heart and his larynx can be.

The wolf made his way slowly to the facility ground wiping blood off his face and his hands the best he could manage without water and retrieving his abandoned pants on the way. He was about to retrace his steps to the back yard where he had left Kenzi, but the familiar scent coming from another direction made him change his course. He saw the girls at the main gate – the ruffled succubus coming down after the fight first with the enemies and then with her lover, a remorseful but unbending blonde doctor, an unaccustomedly subdued valkyrie and a tiny heart-rending frail figure with for-once disheveled raven hair. Bo was the first to notice his approach. "Dyson," she grinned, "Are you alright?" She ran towards the wolf and put her hands on his shoulders looking him over for injuries. "I am fine, Bo", Dyson answered with feeling and squeezed her forearm in response.

"Everyone is fine, my clue out or I'll combust with cuteness overload", Tamsin grumbled pasting her bitchy façade back on. She took a step back simultaneously giving Kenzi a hearty push forward. "Go to him", she hissed into her ear as Kenzi remained rooted to the spot in the clutches of a timidity previously foreign to her nature. All her prior doubts and insecurities came back to her with a vengeance. Snatching a boy-friend, even if technically he was an ex-boy-friend, from the super succubus counted for a traitorous and downright stupid and totally unkenzilike thing to do. "Go for it", the valkyrie hissed again but with a trace of compassion in her voice, "Speak up on your true feelings or you'll be as miserable and lonely as I am".

As if in a dream the girl took a dazed half-step forward and at that point saw Bo hugging Dyson closer and him hugging the gorgeous succubus all the way back and lowering his head to her ear to whisper something undoubtedly sweet. A sense of doomed resignation settled over Kenzi, her deepest fears and forebodings were coming true right in front of her eyes. She was losing the impossible competition for the man she loved with the super succubus and quite likely she was losing her best friend in the same go.

Tamsin stopped in her tracks and was also watching the tender scene with incredulous jealousy quickly brewing into indignation. "What a douchebag!", she exclaimed to no one in particular. "Should've given him a good one below the belt when I had the chance in the ring!"

Fortunately for Dyson's below-the-belt area the valkyrie was not to get a second chance to carry out her vengeful intention as the wolf suddenly broke away from Bo and ran over to Kenzi who was standing in a wide-eyed shock. He scooped the girl up in his arms and pressed her to his chest as close as he could without risking to suffocate her. "I've been meaning to tell you since I saw you in my cell. You are simply stunning without make-up. I would so like to see it every morning", Dyson breathed out. "And that's my best pick-up line"

Kenzi gave a strangled chortle and buried her head into his chest for the two-fold purpose of enjoying the sensation as much as avoiding to look at Bo. But when she finally had to emerge from the safe haven of Dyson's arms she had to brace herself for the sight of the seething succubus. Bo stepped up to the pair and her brown eyes seemed dangerously close to misting over with the ominous blue. "How could you? How could you both do that behind my back? I am your best friend, your sister, Kenzi!" Bo's gaze bored into the younger girl. Next she turned to the wolf, "And you, the person I shared so much with, the one I have always trusted the most?!" Dyson had nothing to say for the simple reason of not possessing the answer. In falling in love with another woman, with a human, he had gone against his nature and the only explanation that came to his head was the sheer unprecedented awesomeness that was Kenzi. But that could hardly account for an apposite interpretation to produce to Bo at the moment. He only pulled Kenzi in a tighter hug, feeling her fragile body tremble all over.

The succubus broke off in the middle of her Caesar-to-Brutus-like speech and suddenly a half-smiled played on her beautiful lips, "You two who have sacrificed so much for my sake, how could you not trust me with the most important thing in your lives? I love you both to bits and I am ready to die for either of you. Do you think I can be selfish or uncaring enough to ruin your happiness?" If Bo's heart were dented by the confession Dyson had mad into her ear during their hug, then his gobsmacked expression was an ample retaliation.

The first to pick up on the comic side of the whole situation was, oddly enough, Lauren who burst into an infection laughter swiftly caught by Tamsin and Bo herself. Kenzi and Dyson were standing in each other's arms encircled by hysterically giggling women and so overwhelmed by relief that even a half-squeezed chuckle was totally beyond them. When the laughter finally died down Bo came over to their side and grabbed their joined hands in hers. "If she ever needs a shoulder to cry on on your account, Dyson, I promise I'll make Baba Yaga's curse seem like a touch of indigestion in comparison," she said with a depth of feeling to her voice. "And you, Kenz, owe me a girl's night out and a full story of what you have been up to while I was so wrapped up in my pre and post dawning angst"

The succubus left it at that for the time being and led her small party to the cars with an honest intention of driving everyone home for the much needed rest, but somehow by a tacit agreement the said everyone ended up at the Dahl as the urge to talk the recent events out of their systems seemed to take precedence over sleep.

The gang settled around the tavern in a random sitting arrangement with Tamsin finding herself next to Kenzi while Dyson and Bo went over to fetch the drinks. The younger girl winked at the blonde with a touch of her returning mischievousness, "You see it might not be a must for the cool chicks like we are to be miserable and lonely". The valkyrie's eyes roamed to Bo picking the tankards at the bar. "Might be, but that's one hell of a long and tortuous road to take", she whispered back. "She is worth every inch", Kenzi nodded with conviction.

At the bar Dyson caught Bo's eyes for a second and felt compelled to level with the woman who had always been the world for him for the sake of the woman who was his world now. "Did you mean what you said there, Bo?" he asked outright.

"Do you love her? The way you used to love me?" the succubus asked back.

"I'll never love anyone the way I loved you, Bo", the wolf replied without a second's hesitation, "I think a part of me still does. But I'll never love anyone the way I love Kenzi. I'll die _for_ you, Bo, any time. But I'll die _without_ her."

Bo gave a sincere smile, "Then I am happy for you. For if there is anyone who deserves you more than I do it's Kenzi" Then a pained expression clouded her features and she went on, "But let me honest with you, for the sake of what we had, I can't pretend that I am not hurt much more that I'd expect to be. Maybe, professional pride – I am a walking-talking extra powerful pheromone, aren't I?"

Dyson felt her words tug at his heart – a sad, self-deprecating Bo was more than he could bear, which drove him on to speak up, "I would sacrifice myself to make you happy, you know I would, Bo, but it's Kenzi at stake here. She is the biggest treasure we both have ever stumbled upon. And it's her happiness that I will never give up, even for you, for the best succubus ever."

Bo looked over across the Dahl at the three girls on the couch in the corner, all the three precious to her heart. "We are of the like mind here, wolf," she replied, "Just bare in mind what I said earlier about a shoulder to cry on and Baba Yaga. I'll be ruthless if you put your douchbag on with my little sister"

Dyson growled with laughter and picked up the beers. "You'd have to take a number, Tamsin has already supplied me with the graphic details on how ruthless she can be under similar circumstances".

Chapter 23

After the winding-down ceremony of intaking a couple of beers and then a couple of shots to chase the beer taste away the merry gang finally felt up to retiring. The tiny bit uncomfortable question of who is crashing where and with whom was masterfully dealt with by Bo who appropriated herself of the two blonde women's hands and declared that as far as the complicacies of private life went they all definitely needed to sleep on it. "Tamsin will take the couch, Lauren can take Kenzi's bed", she gave the order. "And here we seem to have run out of beds, so Dyson, do you think you can find a place for Kenzi in your loft?" Bo couldn't help a mischievous wink directed at the very disconcerted wolf. The succubus brooked no objection as she hot-footed it out of the Dahl with the two girls in tow.

"They are looking at quite a lot of talking it out," Kenzi mused aloud. "And Bo's life is once again is full of hard choices"

"Unlike us", Dyson supplied in a low voice and elaborated in reply to the girl's questioningly cocked eyebrows. "We've made our choice …"

" … and are not intending to do that much talking," Kenzi picked up his idea smoothly. That was the last straw for the wolf who just lifted her in his arms and carried her out and into the car borrowed from Tamsin. "One more innuendo out of you, girl," he warned her in his best husky voice, "and my hands will no longer be on the wheel". "Maybe, there are other places I'd prefer them to be", Kenzi teased him subtly pressing her thigh against him. "A this rate we won't make it to my loft," Dyson growled back, "far be it from me to contest the romantic value of car shenanigans, Kenz, but I swear to you I do need a shower unless your nose's got blocked." He had only had a chance of wiping off the worst of the blood and sweat with a wet cloth and pulling on a spare t-shirt out of Trick's mysteriously bottomless stock of a-bit-of-everything-anyone-might-need.

Kenzi only giggled unabashed, but had to stop winding him up as her body suddenly felt in a terrible need of some sleep. She leaned back and her lids started drooping drowsily. Dyson looked at her askance and said tenderly, "Sleep, babe, it's been one long and draining day."

Kenzi babbled unintelligibly and was out like a light, crashing exhaustion at last catching up with her. She didn't even half wake up when the wolf carried her out of the car and up to his loft. The girl stirred and mumbled something with his name in it but didn't crack open an eye when he tucked her into his bed and straightened the pillows. For a while Dyson was just lying next to her looking at her dear sweet face, then he caught a whiff of something not even remotely fresh and pinning on the source of the smell dragged himself to the shower.

After the shower the wolf joined Kenzi on the bed in a much more presentable state and soon dozed off comforted by her soft breathing. With the earliest specks of light, however, he was roused by two little hands sliding down his chest and sides. Through the eyelids Dyson saw Kenzi watching him with an odd expression. "What's it, babe?" he called to her slightly worried. "Your wounds are practically closed," she whispered back. "You know I am a fast healer, nothing to worry about", he said in a matter-of-fact way. "I know and I am not worried, not any longer. At least, not about your injuries" Kenzi was fumbling with her words clearly distressed by something. Her inflection cold-showered Dyson in a fully awakened state and he propped himself on the elbows to look her straight in the eye.

"Now that you are safe and we are here I am worried if I am enough of a woman for you, I mean I obviously can't touch her curvaceousness in the assets department" the girl was trying for a light tone but failing miserably overcome by the deepest and yet unaddressed insecurity of hers. "I've never been self-conscious, D, but I've never had a supernatural hunk in my bed, or technically, in his bed. I don't know if I am shapely enough or strong enough for you."

Dyson didn't even try to laugh it off, "Confidence for a confidence, Kenz. I've been harbouring the same doubts"

"You what?!" the girl was beyond fuming, "We have just started dating and you are already douchbagging it out of the ballpark!"

"Hey, hear me out," Dyson put a calming hand on her shoulder, "I mean I have the same doubts as you. I don't know if I can be good enough for you, if I can be gentle enough and sensitive enough. If you can ever forget the sight of me blood-splashed and with pieces of Halt stuck between my teeth." The wolf geared up for a confession and got to the core of his fears, "I am afraid of hurting you, Kenzi. I am a wolf and you, apart from your fae smell, are still to all intents and purposes, a human."

"I guess, there is only one way to find it out. I am all up for an experiment," Kenzi whispered and her hands again glided down Dyson's body. "So, it seems, are you. And here was me fearing my tiny assets could be of no big interest to you", she added friskily furthering her exploration, "the interest seems quite considerable". The wolf growled and flipped Kenzi over onto her back dragging her underneath him. The doubts were still lingering, his wolf was still to learn to be reined in but the girl he loved was finally his.

It took trick nine calls and a great deal of quite unroyal patience to get through to Dyson and Kenzi, as it was well into the evening of the next day that either of them could consider getting far enough away from the bed to pick up the phone. The Blood King pretended to miss a practically purring undertone to Dyson's voice and demanded they both come to the Dhal at their earliest convenience, doing his kingly best to convey that the said earliest convenience was just a euphemism for "_get your asses here right now_"

"What's with the young people of today", the bartender grumbled hanging up. The earlier conversation with his granddaughter had got him no further than a garbled "Sorry, Paps, busy" accompanied by background noises which made him abort the call with an exclamation of "Too much information!"

When Dyson and Kenzi at last arrived at the Dahl and parked themselves at the bar Trick was tied up with his patrons and Kenzi seized the opportunity of grabbing some booze before the serious talk she felt was coming. Trick was not the one to call them over without a blastingly good reason. "What, I need a boost", she drawled in reply to the wolf's half-amused half-reproachful glance, "You are the best placed to know"

"You mean I exhausted you," he teasingly asked.

"I mean you made me go without a drop for longer than I care to go without a drop," the girl sniped back and down a shot. In an immediate swing of emotions she flung her arms around him, kissed him and whispered into the chest of his shirt, "And you haven't exhausted me, you've made me very happy"

Momentarily embarrassed by her own emotional outburst she returned to the drink she had swiped from under the counter and went on, "Even if I am ready to admit that my stamina might need some working on. So, I am carrying on my work-out with the second round of whatever it is in this Trick-sent bottle."

"Trick-sent and Trick-confiscated", the bartender groused retrieving the alcohol from the girl's hands. "Down to my lair, you two and try to tone down the shining your faces are giving off. It's bordering on socially inappropriate to be so openly happy with each other", he added with a barely concealed kindness in his voice.

"Have you heard from BoBo?" Kenzi chirped on the way downstairs.

"More than I bargained for," Trick winced slightly at the memory, "Let's just say she is occupied similarly to you two"

"Oh, sheet entanglement", the girl stated with a knowing air, "But the million-dollar question is …."

"I have no idea who with, Kenzi," the Blood King cut her short and guided them to the couch by the desk strewn with thick books, "And let's just for now distract ourselves from my granddaughter's romantic escapades. It's you in the spot-light now."

Chapter 24

Trick sounded so portentous that Kenzi couldn't help a shiver but was comforted by Dyson's warm arm around her shoulders. "What is it, T-man? Has a notorious Russian countess died and left me her family jewels?" she put a brave face on and tried for her usual cocky grin.

"Haven't socialized with Russian aristocracy of late," the bartender returned unperturbed, "but I have put in quite a lot of reading as Dyson asked me while your merry gang were drinking to your battle and bed triumphs the other night."

"Have you found anything about this bumptious cannibalistic feline and what he might have done to Kenzi?" the wolf cut in, ruffled by the old fae's tense voice.

"Not much about Bayun, I haven't had much dealings with Slavic fae and wasn't it Bismarck who kindly advised under no circumstances to tangle with Russia? I just found some vague references to the cat who lures travelers with his yarns and eats them alive."

Kenzi cringed at the memory and commented, "Yeah, helped me to realize I am decidedly a dog person. On further reflection, maybe, a tiny bit of a wolf person."

"And seems like it really has the power to change people's destiny with his tales. The legend says if you defeat Bayun, you can make him grant your wish," Trick went on.

"That's what we did," Kenzi piped up again unable to overcome her restlessness, "It was rather division of labour at play. Dyson defeated him and I made a wish, though I didn't realize it at the time. But the kitty con tripped me up nicely."

"What exactly did you wish for," the Blood King asked sternly.

"Don't remember it word for word. Something along the lines of being sick and tired of fae superiority complex," the girl muttered.

"Well, as far as wishes go, this one is rather open to interpretation," the old fae said pensively.

"The cat said that she wished not to be despised by other fae and that he had cured her complex," Dyson managed to recall. "I surmised that the only way to be treated as equal among fae is to be one. Besides, Kenzi's smell changed, she started smelling like a fae. Ok, I might be biased, but it wasn't only me. The dark fae in the bar I brought Kenzi to also took her for one of our own."

"If smelling like someone equaled being someone I could become Brad Pitt any time," Kenzi groused. Seeing the bewilderment on the men's faces she elaborated, "He's done a channel 5 commercial, aren't you following perfume fashion, guys?"

"Firstly, we are not following perfume fashion cause we are not following fashion, Kenz, your new boyfriend can't even be bothered to shave. Not in the couple of centuries I've known him. Secondly, in your case I guess stolen or fake Channel 5 wouldn't count anyway," Trick stated with truly royal dignity.

Kenzi pouted which provoked an amused smile on the part of the wolf who ducked his head to press his lips against the girl's ear and whispered, "If you can put up with my stubble, I'll turn a blind eye to your kleptomaniac tendencies and an insensitive nose to your fake perfume."

In the meantime, Trick continued on his findings, "I've done thorough research of my extensive library and all the wise books of fae say the same - there are no documented cases of humans becoming fae or fae becoming humans, it is impossible."

"But if the Norn had taken my wolf when I offered him up as a sacrifice, I would have become essentially human," Dyson interjected.

"You would most likely become a fae stripped of powers, not human" the Blood King corrected.

"So, Bayun is more of a con than we thought and I am not a fae," Kenzi said vaguely aware of a miserable dejected feeling taking hold of her mind. "That is why my illusory fea powers didn't kick in even when my life and D-man's life were at stake. Because I have none. And back to my pathetic human self," the girl was doing her desperate best to pass her trembling lips for an amused smirk. So far, she hadn't allowed herself to admit how much she wished for faedom, for the possibility to be equal to the man she wanted to make happy for a very long time to come. But now that the hope was getting dashed, the realization of how much she had been clinging to this dream was painfully in the open.

"It doesn't matter, Kenzi," Dyson said in his deep voice which had never failed to rouse butterflies in her stomach. "I love you, human or not, and I'll always cherish you and protect you." Noticing traitorous dew in the depth of Kenzi's azure eyes he promptly tried for a joke, "And let's face it, if you turned out a super powerful fae what a blow it would be to my alpha ego."

"Besides, far be it from me to disparage the wise books of fae, Trick," Dyson went on, "but things which never made it onto their wise pages are legion, often for political reasons. Books are written by fae and most fae will never acknowledge the fact that humans and fae might not be that far apart and a transfer between the species can happen."

"I'll make allowances for your obvious infatuation with Kenzi and let the comment slide," Trick said with a note of reproach directed at the younger man, "the more so that I happen to hold the same opinion. The fact that there are no documented cases of such a transformation proves nothing. In this instance I tend to trust my old friend's nose more than the dusty prejudiced volumes"

"So it is possible I am a super Kenz. Hey, I was awesome as a human, how much more awesome can I get now?" the girl shrieked with childish glee, her sorrows and self-doubts for the moment relegated.

"it's not something to toy around with," the bartender brought her up short, "If you are fae, we need to know which one, to know and to learn your powers before you have a chance to make your trademark awesome pig's ear of things."

"I wish we had heard what the damned cat was murmuring when he granted her wish," Dyson sighed. "I actually picked something but couldn't understand a word."

"Maybe, cause it was in Russian?" Kenzi suggested and Trick suddenly cracked a wide smile. '

"I think I've got an idea," he said ambling over to one of his cabinets, "which includes a secret potion of mine, a pocket watch, my exception and multifaceted skills and a very obedient Kenzi.'

Chapter 25

"That sounds mighty ominous, Trickster," Kenzi shot the old fae a nervous glance, "Are you gonna make me do press-ups to a stopwatch?"

"Don't know what you are talking about," Trick frowned busily rummaging in his cabinets.

"Yeah, sure, you've never been to secondary school," the girl muttered eliciting a chuckle from the wolf. "Nor to the primary."

"Will you stop nattering and lie down on the couch, Kenzi?" the Blood King walked over to them with the required stuff in his hands.

"Now, that sounds just ways better," Kenzi's discomfort was growing by the second, but she complied and stretched on the couch mounting her feet onto Dyson's lap. "What now?"

"Now you drink this," Trick offered her a flask, "and try to relax." He pulled a low chair to the couch and sat down. "And I am going to undertake the undertakeable – to delve into Kenzi's mind. If I can find one, I am sure it will be more tortuous than the Minotaur labyrinth and more booze-fumed than a distillery."

"Lame, T-man, leave snarking to the Kenzisms master," the girl twittered. "And still foggy. Delve?"

"I am going to hypnotize you, the potion should help you to relax, the watch will slow your rhythms. Don't struggle it and if we are lucky I might make you remember what the Bayun told you in his fairy tale. It should be in your subconscious even if you don't remember it on the conscious level." Trick finally elucidated.

Looking at the girl's tensed-up face, Dyson squeezed Kenzi's feet in support, "Guess, it's our best chance short of re-hunting the tale cat and shaking the information out of him, babe. I'll be here, by your side."

"Ok," she sighed and taking a gulp form the flask remarked, "When I am under, don't you dare ask indecencies, like where I got my Gucci purse from or who is the best kisser in my esteemed opinion."

"As if I don't know," the wolf winked at her with a naughty smile and that was the last distinct thing Kenzi saw before the potion made her fall flat limply on the couch and the steady swing of Trick's pocket watch before her face dragged her deep under.

Kenzi's fabulous eyes dimmed and closed, her soft pout relaxed and her breathing leveled. Dyson was still squeezing her unhumanly miniscule feet, which could practically fit in his large hands, and was watching the proceedings with a fair bit of concern. Trick checked the girl's eye by lifting a lid and put away the watch. "She is ready," he half-whispered in an aside to the wolf and started in a soft voice, "Do you hear me, child?"

"I want you to go back to the time you met the cat who calls himself Bayun," the Blood King went on after receiving the girl's affirmative answer.

"My Russian grandma read me about him in Pushkin's fairy tales when I was very small. When she died I learnt a piece of the poem by heart to remember her by," Kenzi said with a nostalgic tinge to her voice and Dyson marveled at her soothed face, at how young and kind, and sensitive, and a tiny bit sad she looked when she didn't feel the need to fight or hold your own against the whole fae and human world.

"Skip to the part after Dyson fought him down, what were you talking about?" Trick went on, beads of perspiration springing on his forehead with concentration.

"We talked about vegetarianism, and his fur, and books, and Dyson wanted to get a good bite out of the cat, but I told him about the legend. That you can ask him for a tale that can work miracles," Kenzi went on her voice dropping.

"And then? What did you ask for?" both fae were waiting for the answer with bated breath.

"I said _Stop calling me little girl, you fae with your superiority complex._ _Maybe we could start with curing that attitude_. And he told me a tale of his"

"What was in the tale?" Trick was fidgeting on his chair and Dyson had to take his hands off Kenzi's feet for fear of crashing her slender bones in the suspense of the moment.

"It said: _И будет чудо сказочное – ты станешь тем, кого боялась больше всех феи в своей жизни._" Kenzi pronounced in her most articulate and sonorous Russian. As multifacetedly skilled as Trick had claimed to be Slavic languages were never his forte. And the unsurpassed peak of Dyson's linguistic expertise was to drop his Scottish accent, which took him a couple of centuries.

"Translate it for us, baby," the wolf could no longer contain his agitation, "What does it mean?"

"It means _Let a fairy miracle happen – you shall become the one fae you have feared most in your life_," Kenzi obliged and suddenly her unperturbed face was contorted with fear. Her soft voice rose to a scream, "It's Inari, she took my friends, she put me on a chain and sicced her guard underfae on me. She said nobody needed me and nobody loved me. I have never feared anyone like her!"

Trick hurried to pick up the pocket watch again, "Calm it, Kenzi! Inari is not to be feared any longer. Take a deep breath, I'll start counting to ten and you'll wake up."

When Kenzi opened her eyes she was already encircled by the wolf's comforting strong arms. She looked up at his anxious face, which he immediately pressed against the top of her head, and then, extricating herself, at Trick who was busily gathering the hypnotizing equipment with totally overdone care. Both fae were averting her crystalline grey gaze and she rushed straight to the point. "What did i say? Do we know what I am now? I want to be something cute and badass at the same time. No sleaze, no stink, please. I wonder if I were to become a Mesmer like Vex, could we mesmerize each other. Or a succubus like Bo – now that doesn't bare thinking about. After all the crotch jokes I made at her expense!"

"Kenzi, you are babbling," Dyson stopped her in mid-flow.

"That is because I am shit-nervous and you two are playing it all doom and gloom and portentous," she pouted, "Cough it or I'll bite my nails to the quick with worry and you'll have to pay for acrylic extensions. One thing for sure, that someone is not gonna be me."

Dyson shot a desperate look at Trick pleading for help, but the older fae beat a hasty retreat with a murmured excuse of an urgent matter to tend to and left the newly coupled alone, equipping himself with an extra thick and old volume on the way out. Between his friend deserting the battlefield and Kenzi's implacably persistent glare pressing for answers the wolf had to work up the nerve to speak up, "Kenzi, we know what bayun turned you into," he started cautiously, "and I believe that this is in itself great news. And I personally have always found this type of fae incredibly attractive and really badass…"

"Dyson, another long-winded sentence and I am gonna test my new powers by punching you where it hurts," the girl hissed looking mightily convincing.

"You have turned into a kitsune, Kenzi" Dyson said looking straight into her eyes that managed to look so full of fight and of fear at the same time.

Trick had not strayed far from the stairs leading to his lair and had been all the while training his ears in that general direction while leafing through the book he had taken to prepare the much needed answers. He distinctly heard a muffled cry or two and a sound of something smashing against the wall, Kenzi's indignant voice against Dyson's soothing tone. "A wolf and a fox," the old fae signed with a slightly amused resignation, "and me as the keeper to this Zoo."

Chapter 26

When Trick returned to the room the worst of Kenzi's fit had blown over. She was sitting in Dyson's lap and fidgeting his the buttons on his shirt while the wolf was placatingly stroking her raven-black hair. The Blood King demonstratively flopped the thick volume down on the desk. The thud made the lovers tear their eyes off each other, which was quite the intended effect.

"She hasn't taken it lightly, Trick," Dyson grumbled, "The memories of her encounter with Inari are still rather fresh"

"I believe you are overreacting," the older fae replied unruffled settling himself into a chair.

"Overreacting?!" Kenzi piped up, "You've told me I am turning into the skank that hurt me like nobody else and I am overreacting by not embracing it with all my heart?!"

"I do understand the grudge you are still baring against the long dead fae, but the fact that Inari was a psychotic bitch doesn't mean you are gonna be the same," Dyson cautiously reiterated the point he had obviously already presented to her. "Besides, she was rather instrumental in making me realize how important you are to me," he tried to lighten the tone but the glare Kenzi gave him was nowhere near humorous.

"Dismissing Inari as a match-maker as well as a current topic," Trick interrupted their exchange, "I would like to point out that Dyson is essentially right. Kenzi, kitsune is not an abomination among fae, far from it. They can be as different in their moral worth as people and other types of fae. Actually, my fae encyclopedia depicts them as highly intelligent beings with extended life span and some serious powers. The ways they employ their powers, however, can vary drastically from individual to individual. Many kitsune turn into malicious tricksters while no fewer among their kind become faithful friends, lovers or guardians and supporters of good causes. Though, not without a mischievous streak."

"A mischievous lover - sounds just like my Kenzi," the wolf drawled appropriating himself of the girl's hands to press her closer to him. Kenzi's face was gradually losing the pained expression and revealing more of a guarded curiosity.

"As to your powers, apart from the obvious increase in strength, stamina and longevity, they are yet to be discovered for kitsune can belong to many subspecies according to their abilities. It could be any of the five plus one senses honed to the sharpest possible edge or can be the ability to assume other humans' or animals's form, which seems to have been Inari's specialty," Trick was warming to the subject and enjoying his didactic role. "You can be kitted out with a psychic ability or extraordinary vision or smell perception, or flash-of-a-lightning speed or … ." He paused for breath.

"However, kitsune's powers develop with time and usually peak at around one hundred years of age, so you, my baby fae, still have a long way to go and a lot to learn," he finished his lecture and closed the wise book with a flourish.

"One more question here, T-man, will I go red?" Kenzi's now much calmer voice rang out in the silence, "cause I have always totally rocked red wigs."

Trick gave a smile which was much more relieved than he would care to admit. "As a unique representative of the one-of-its-kind type of human-turned-fae your evolution is a bit hard to predict. Nothing in my books on hair colour."

"Maybe you'll need to write in a new chapter," Dyson suggested, "and while you are at it, I am planning to take this one newbie away from the city for a couple of weeks to a nice remote place"

"For a romantic trip?" Kenzi asked dreamingly.

"Rather for a training session, we need to assess your powers at present and get you to start working on them," the wolf turned on his no-nonsense mode, but couldn't hold it up for long looking into the beautiful face he loved so much. "Though, guess, we could throw in some romantics. I am quite keen on re-evaluating your abilities in certain areas," he added playfully.

When Trick had gone up to tend to his barman's duties and Dyson set about organizing their trip to a place he knew was "just as right for a bit of beginner-fae training as it was right for a spot of lovemaking" as the wolf termed it, Kenzi was left alone with her scrambled thoughts. Despite the chilling realization of how long her way to fid her true fae-self was going to be, she was feeling appeased and as happy as one could ever be. Gone were her childhood fears, Inari's ghost was at long last laid to rest (I can become even stronger than you were. Suck it up, bitch!), her own feeling of inadequacy among her super-powered friends faded to non-existent. And no matter how bumpy her road was going to be, she was not walking it alone – her beautiful wolf was right there by her side.

Author's Note: Millions of thanks to all those who were reading and reviewing this story. This is the last chapter to it as, tell you the truth, I have run out of twists for the line I took with this fic. I might go on with a sequel, maybe in a different rating, to tell about the training and further adventures of kitsune Kenzi and Dyson, and to explore her powers to be, but for now I am sadly lacking ideas for Part 2. I am carrying on with Little Red and as soon as I can reboot my imagination for the kitsune story I promise I will.


End file.
